All That I Have
by gluegirl56
Summary: Life as a sergeant isn't what Nick expected it to be so he and Jo begin to plan for a trip abroad, to start all over again. However, while trying to sort out a series of antique thefts Nick and Mike get into serious trouble. / I hope you enjoy ;) and feedback is always appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

Heartbeat – All That I Have

_Disclaimer:_ Heartbeat is not my creation and doesn't belong to me. I merely wish to play around with a few marvellous characters for a while.

_Characters:_ Mainly Nick/Jo/(Kate)

Then of course there's Greengrass, Maggie/Neil, Mike, Gina and the rest

_Genre:_ Hurt/comfort, romance, angst, crime, drama, tragedy

_Time/Spoilers:_ Set in late season seven.

_Summary:_ While Nick is wondering if life is going to be the same for years to come he and Jo begin to plan for a trip abroad, to start all over again. Life as a sergeant isn't what Nick expected it to be. While trying to sort out a series of antique thefts Nick and Mike get into trouble than they can handle and suddenly Jo finds herself torn between hope and despair. She gets more insight in Nick and Kate's relationship than she ever bargained for as it turns out Kate's grip around Nick is stronger than Jo ever imagined.

_Beta:_ NuGirl – thanks ;)

OOOOOO

**Chapter One – A Series of Thefts **

Sergeant Nick Rowan sighed heavily and closed his eyes briefly, rubbing his tired eyes. He was sitting in the living room, next to the fire, filing police reports. He looked up as Jo sat down next to him with a plausible smile on her lips.

"Well, you look awfully cheerful," she teased softly, sarcastically, and leaned in for a kiss.

Nick gave her a tired smile and gave in to her tender lips as they met his. They broke the kiss and he leaned back to look at her; her whole being was radiant and sparkling, her curly hair falling down softly around her shoulders. Her beautiful features became enlightened in the flames of the fire in front of them.

"What?" she asked suspiciously.

"I'm just looking at my beautiful wife," he returned cunningly.

Jo chuckled. "Is that your way of saying sorry for being engrossed in work the whole afternoon, evening and…" she glanced at her watch, "is it going to be night as well?"

Nick hung his head slightly. "I'm sorry, Jo. It's just that there's a lot of paperwork that needs to be done," he apologized.

"And you're afraid this is what it's going to be like for the rest of your life?" she asked. "That's what you said the other day," she offered by way of explanation for her question.

Nick made a face and leaned back in the sofa, staring into the warm fire in front of them. "Sometimes I wish everything was like before," he said exasperated and turned to look at her ruefully. "When I was just an ordinary constable."

"You're loathing, Nick Rowan," Jo exclaimed and broke into an astonished grin.

"I'm not," he protested meekly.

She raised one eyebrow skeptically.

"All right," Nick admitted. "Maybe a little, but," he leaned closer to her in the sofa and placed his arm around her small frame; "can't we just go away for a while and think."

"We were away on a honeymoon for two weeks a couple of months ago," she reminded him cheekily and let her head come to rest on his chest. "But then again, I'm not that hard to persuade. The woman you're going to convince is my head master. According to her I've no more vacation saved for the rest of this year," Jo added.

OOOOOO

"Morning," Mike Bradley said hastily as he swept through the door and into the duty room just a minute before the shift was starting.

"Oh, no," Phil returned by way of greeting as he stared at the newspaper in front of him, on his desk.

"What?" Alf asked curiously.

"It's that antique gang again," Phil complained. "Nick's going to have us out the whole day searching for any sort of clues."

Mike leaned in over his shoulder and pursed his lips. "It says here that the police are standing crest fallen about the clever gang that now seem to operate from Ashfordly," he read aloud.

"That they dare," Alf muttered darkly. "We do have clues."

"I'm afraid that isn't enough, Alf," Nick filled in as he walked up from behind the old copper, coming out from his office. "I've just had a call from divisional HQ and they want results. CID is ready to take over for us as well if we can't find something substantial soon."

"I take it DI Shiner wasn't too impressed with how I handled the dead guy in custody either, a couple of months back," Mike said sullenly.

"All that has been settled and you've been cleared. The man died because of malaria, not by your negligence as the journalists wrote," Nick answered. "Let it go, Mike."

"I suppose you're right, Sarge," he said as he took his seat behind Nick's old desk.

Nick smiled amusedly and turned to Ventress as the copper reached into the top drawer of his desk and retrieved a cookie. "Alf?" he began. "Have you had a chance to go through the addresses of unoccupied buildings that we got from the municipal office yesterday?" he asked.

"Well, not yet, not all of them," the old copper replied.

"You believe they're storing things somewhere local," Mike stated as he straightened in his chair, his interest peaking.

Nick nodded. "When we find that we'll find the people behind it, preferably without the masks on," he offered.

"It would be so nice to nail them," Phil let on longingly. "All those lonely nights on patrol, the hospital visits to take statements from people who says; I don't know, they had masks on, I couldn't identify them," he finished sarcastically.

OOOOOO

Doctor Neil Bolton looked up from the chart he was studying as he saw Sr. Maggie Bolton walk briskly into the adjoining corridor. He hastily took one last glance at the chart and scribbled something down before handing it over to the ward sister.

"That would be all Sister Watkins,"" he said curtly, but in a polite manner, as he headed out of the room and hurried after the woman he'd once shared his life with. "Maggie!" he hollered.

She whirled around with a frown at the sound of someone calling her name and sighed, looking almost annoyed, as she realized it was her estranged husband. "Hello, Neil," she acknowledged.

He walked up to her looking almost apologetic and glanced around in case anyone else was lingering. "Maggie, we need to talk," he said seriously.

"No, Neil, you need to talk, I have nothing to say to you," she replied bitterly and turned around to walk off.

"Maggie, please, wait," he begged softly. "Can't we just talk about it?"

The nurse turned toward him again. "What good would it do, Neil? As I told you before, you walked out on me when I needed you the most," she let on, unintentionally raising her voice.

"I'm sorry but I couldn't handle your way of dealing with it," he said with a sigh and ran a hand over his forehead. "So clinical, so detached, it was like nothing could move you."

"It was the only way I could deal with it," Maggie replied trying to keep casual.

"Can't we at least be friends?" the young doctor asked hopefully.

She pursed her lips, the look on her face far from jovial.

"Civil?" he added.

Maggie broke into faint smile and Neil felt the corners of his mouth twist upwards. It had been a long time since he had seen that smile. It suited her somehow.

"Civil it is," she answered.

"A night cap at a café?" he asked carefully.

"A late drink at Aidensfield Arms," she decided and turned to leave for the second time, this time her smile reached her eyes.

OOOOOO

Claude Greengrass clasped his hands together in front of him and chuckled as he stared at the twelve goats he'd gotten delivered from the auction. "My beauties," he said happily. "You'll supply me with milk, exclusive milk for the restaurants, and cheese, locally produced and fresh."

The goats suddenly scrambled as a motorbike came down the road. The driver stopped at his gate, killed the engine and got off with a half-smirk on his face.

However, the old crook's lips bent downward as the young constable walked up to him. "Before you go on accusing me for anything that I haven't done…" he began.

PC Mike Bradley raised a hand in order to stave the protest or complaint that was forming. "I'm not here because I suspect foul play, Claude," he reasoned. "I'm here to see if you could help me with inquiries."

Claude visibly relaxed and took a step closer to Bradley. "What's in it for me?" he tried. "I mean an informant must make something out of it."

Mike nodded. "Yeah, normally they get a reduced sentence," he replied deadpan.

Claude sighed. "I thought you were different," he added exasperated. "Not that I mind Rowan that much, thank heavens Blaketon was relieved. It's enough trying to buy a stamp from him."

Mike smiled cunningly. "So, Claude, do you know anything about any antiques that's gone missing?" he asked.

"I heard that snobby woman up at Caramide Cottage lost a large garden statue," he said and blinked in rapid succession. "A good thing too, it must have been the ugliest thing ever made," he added amusedly.

"You haven't seen or heard anything else?" Mike wondered aloud and eyed him suspiciously. "Perhaps a rumor that circulates?" he suggested.

Greengrass appeared to be thoughtful for a moment. "There was one funny thing the other day," he admitted, recalling the event. "I had been out…" he trailed off remembering he was talking to the police and corrected himself, "…I was on my way home when I saw that the lights were on at Hillsdale Farm. I remember thinking it was odd since no one is supposed to live there anymore."

Mike frowned. "Did you see anything other than that the lights were on?" he asked curiously.

"An old car," Claude mused. "At first I thought it was Rowan's but what would he do up there, alone, close to midnight?"

"Sergeant Rowan owns an old MG-TA, doesn't he?" Bradley asked. "Must have cost a fortune."

Greengrass snorted. "His acquirement of it was shady at best," he let on sourly.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_1/28_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two – On to Something **

PC Phil Bellamy crossed his arms over his chest and sighed as he overlooked the shabby old industrial part of Ashfordly's outskirt. "I don't like this place," he muttered in disgust.

Alf cast a glance at him from behind the wheel of the white and turquoise panda car. "I don't think anyone does, except for the people involved in the shady business around here," he said.

Phil turned to look at him with a frown.

"If the committee gets their way the entire area will be demolished and replaced by architecture drawn, modern homes for the middle-class," Alf filled in.

"Been to a council meeting recently?" Phil questioned with a slight tease.

"Just been listening to Mrs. Ventress," his older colleague replied with a shrug.

Phil stared out through the passenger window and suddenly straightened in his seat. "In here, Alf, pull in," he said suddenly. "It's this address."

Within a few minutes the two constables made their way over the courtyard of the old textile factory and headed for the lorry garage.

Phil felt uneasy as they reached the old wooden door, secured by a rusty padlock. "Are you sure?" he questioned in a whisper to his colleague, "because this doesn't look like it's been used in ages."

Alf nodded. "This is the address the man on the phone tipped us about," he confirmed.

Phil made a face and headed after his older colleague as he walked up to the door.

Alf reached for the lock and examined it properly before giving a good go at it. A minute later the heavy wooden door opened with a shriek.

Phil grimaced. "I think we've lost the element of surprise," he muttered sarcastically with a glare.

Alf pursed his lips, casting an annoyed glance at his younger colleague before heading into the old garage. The section was cast in semi-darkness, the beautiful, once architecturally drawn windows dirtied and worn by decades of use. Despite that it was a bright afternoon outside, one would need a flashlight to orient properly in the room.

Phil felt the wall trying to find the light switch, his fingers finally closing around a cylindrical object not too far from the door.

Alf blinked at the sudden brightness coming from the system of hanging light bulbs above their heads. Several were out of order but the room was illuminated enough for them to see properly without using their flashlights.

Phil whistled as he stared at the many new wooden crates in front of them, standing neatly stacked in the middle of the garage. "Alf, I believe that this calls for a celebration" Phil let on jovially as he patted the old copper on the back and headed over to pop the lid of the nearest box.

Ventress headed over to a workbench a bit further away to pick up a crowbar which he handed over to Bellamy, who gladly accepted it.

"Thanks," he said.

The lid came off and Phil gently reached into it, removing the sawdust from the packed items as Alf curiously looked over his shoulder.

"Antiques," Alf deduced deadpan.

"I would definitely say so," Phil confirmed.

OOOOOO

"Yes, sir," Sgt. Nick Rowan confirmed on the phone in his office. "We found several crates of packed goods at the site."

"_Do we know who hires the place?"_ CID DI Shiner asked objectively.

"A Mr. Ted Jones is the legislated owner of the lorry garage as it stands. We are making enquiries as of right now," Nick assured him.

"_Do you have any reason to believe he is involved in the thefts?"_ Shiner questioned.

"I can't say yet, sir," Nick replied.

"_Very well, Sergeant Rowan, keep me apprised of the situation,"_ he finished.

"Yes, sir," the young sergeant said by way of confirmation.

Nick placed the mouthpiece in its holder as there was a soft knock on the door to his office.

Mike Bradley walked in with an apologizing smirk on his face, for interrupting. "Sarge, I've just spoken to Alf, they've found Mr. Jones. They're bringing him in as we speak," he reported.

OOOOOO

Oscar Blaketon walked out of the post office, tightening his jacket as a cold wind prickled his skin. He narrowed his eyes as Claude Greengrass came walking over the large green lawn, emphasizing the center of the village, on his way toward the stores with Alfred on a short leech.

"Greengrass," the former sergeant acknowledged in a sharp voice as the crook neared.

"Blaketon," Claude returned unhappily.

"What have you've got planned today?" Blaketon asked suspiciously.

"I would say it's none of your business," Greengrass replied.

Blaketon shot his former antagonist an icy glare as he turned to walk towards his car.

Claude turned to gaze after him for a while before cracking a satisfied smile. He tied Alfred to a street lamp and gently patted the scruffy dog on his back. "You wait here Alfred, I'll be back soon," he said and clasped his hands together, heading into the grocery store.

OOOOOO

"Okay, let's go through this one more time, Mr. Jones," Nick said seriously with a hint of anger in his normally soft voice.

The man, in his late thirties, with casual clothes and a neatly trimmed beard looked up at Rowan as the sergeant in question leaned over the table toward him. Ted Jones had a look of defiance on his face as he too leaned forward over the table to face the police.

"I've already told you, whatever your feeble constables found on location is not mine," he returned in frustration, ignoring Bellamy sitting next to Nick.

Out of the corner of his eye Nick saw Phil tense, his posture stiffening and his jaw clenching at the accusation.

"Your premises was searched with a warrant, we detected stolen goods, I don't need to explain anything to you," Phil spoke up in annoyance. "It's you who's hiding something and I suggest you tell us what it is," he said in a low and threatening voice, fed up by the cocky man.

"Phil," Nick warned, although he found it hard to keep his own voice neutral.

Phil pursed his lips and leaned back in the chair, his arms crossed over his chest.

A triumphant evil grin crossed Jones' face as he saw the constable's shoulders slump.

"The fact is, Mr. Jones, that my feeble police officers found stolen items in your garage and unless you can explain to me how that come I'll lock you up for the night and then keep you there until you decide to tell the truth," Nick said seriously, yet in a threatening manner.

"I suggest you talk to the man that rents the place," Jones returned, although it wasn't with the level of self-consciousness he'd displayed earlier. "His name is Charles Chadwick. He runs a business, a legal business, down in Pickering."

"By the looks of things it seems more like an _il_legal firm," Phil remarked. "Tell me, does he perhaps run an antiques shop?"

"Okay, that's enough," Nick intervened as Jones straightened in his chair and glared angrily at Bellamy.

"Phil, take this charming gentleman to a cell," the sergeant said with a half-smirk and then cast one last glance at the man before he headed out into the duty room.

OOOOOO

David Stockwell came lulling down the road on his bicycle. His grip around the steering hardened and his expression tightened as the road inclined and turned bumpy. Dwindling ever so slightly, his hands shaking, he managed to get unscratched down the last slope toward Claude's barn.

"David," Greengrass hollered with an amused smile. "It's not good to sit in the bar and take one too many you know," he added.

The slightly developmentally delayed man turned to look at him, his expression blank at first and then one of confusion.

Claude waved it away. "Never mind," he added and began to walk toward a fenced area not too far away.

Curiously David followed and broke into a large grin, taking off his hat, as he spotted several white, curly, goats strolling around, happily pasturing.

"Mr. Greengrass," he began excitedly.

Claude turned back to look at him as he'd just gone into the fold. He blinked a few times and put his hands on his hips.

David stared at him dumbfounded, his expression turning into one of fear. "Mr. Greengrass, you're not thinking of butchering them, are you? He asked worriedly.

Claude huffed. "No, David, I'm not going to butcher them. They're going to earn me a name in the delicacy business," he explained.

The man just stared at the old crook, his brow furrowing slightly, he was clearly not understanding.

"I'm going to sell their milk and do some of that cheese that are so popular nowadays," Claude filled in, somewhat exasperated.

"Oh," David replied, a smile once again creasing his lips. "Maybe I could help out a little," he volunteered.

"Well, that was kind of the idea," Claude let on. "I figured you could take care of them, you know, feeding them and all that."

"Well, Mr. Greengrass, I don't know if I can really. Besides, Mr. Scripps is very busy at the moment so I've got to help out," he reasoned.

"Well, if you feel you can't handle the responsibility…" Claude began cunningly.

"I didn't say that," David protested.

"Then it's settled then," the old crook replied happily. "If everything goes according to plan you might be able to get a little milk tomorrow."

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_2/28_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three – Shady Business **

Mike looked up from the folder he was studying as Phil sourly came back from the holding cell area. "From the look on your face I take it he has a way with people," he offered.

Phil snorted. "He has issues with the force," he replied in annoyance. "The last thing he said was that we would hear from his solicitor and then we would be sued for loss of income and a lot of other things."

Mike shook his head.

"So, how did it go with our dear Mr. Greengrass?" Phil asked.

"Well, he appeared very innocent," Mike began.

"Ha,"Ventress huffed, "That must be the first time."

"He said something was going on at some farm…" Mike paused, trying in his head to visualize where it lay and remember the correct name. "…Hillsdale Farm?" he concluded.

"Hillsdale Farm?" Alf asked curiously as he leaned forward in his chair. "That place has been abandoned for years and I don't expect the owner to come back anytime soon."

Mike leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "And why is that?"

"Because he died two years ago, quite tragically I might add," Alf explained. "He died in a house fire. The only thing that remained intact was the old barn and the garage."

"Yeah," Phil filled in. "And if I remember correctly his old sister couldn't afford to restore the house. Something about insurance and she didn't have the heart to sell it."

"Maybe she's there now," Mike suggested. "Claude said he saw an old red car up there, said it looked like sarge's car," he added.

"She won't be," Alf countered. "Last I heard she was taken into care back at the old folk's home down in Strensford."

"If it helps any I can tell you that my MG-TA was safely in the garage," Nick spoke up from the kitchenette.

Phil smiled and reached over to pat Mike on the shoulder. "Back to square one," he said.

Nick appeared on the threshold between the kitchenette and the duty room with a slightly amused look on his face. "Looks like you've got something to look into, Bradley," he said.

Mike sighed unluckily.

"Cheer up mate," Phil reasoned. "You'll see a lot of the countryside up here. Many hours alone, freezing, no tea around the corner, no people to get annoyed at, no traffic," he teased.

Mike turned to glare at him. "I get it," he said tersely.

"Well, I'm sure Phil will help out," Nick said softly, trying not to show his amusement too much at the look he was given by his old colleague.

Phil glanced after him in astonishment as he turned to walk back toward his office. "This sergeant thing has gone to his head," he muttered as Mike jovially rose from his chair and patted Phil on his shoulder as he went past him.

"Come on, mate, let's see what we can find out," the fairly new London copper suggested.

OOOOOO

Jo Rowan looked up from the newspaper she was reading, seated in the sofa next to the fire, as she heard the door open and close. A minute later, Nick appeared in the doorway.

"Hello there, my missing husband," she said softly as he closed the distance between them and sat down next to her.

She chuckled as he leaned in to give her a quick kiss before heading out in the office again to get out of his thick wool coat.

"I'm sorry, I had to finish up some things back at the station before I headed home," he explained.

Jo let out a sigh. "Alice Darlington, you know the snobby woman in the committee, she came up to me earlier today when Katie and I was over in Ashfordly to do some shopping," she said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Nick frowned as he placed his cap on the hook, began to unbuckle his uniform belt and then switched off the light in the office as he headed toward his wife.

"She asked if the police were going to do something about these horrible thefts going on in the area," Jo said, impersonating the older upper-class woman.

Nick let out an exasperated sigh.

"And then I had the unfortunate pleasure of running into some midwife that used to work with Kate. She told her friend that I was the new Mrs. Rowan and that I at least should have had the decency of waiting to marry you until Kate had been dead for at least a couple of years," she said, unable to keep the hurt out of her voice.

"Well," Nick began softly as he sat down next to her. "Sounds you've had a great day," he offered.

Jo let her head come to rest on Nick's shoulder and lay a hand on his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath her fingers. "It gets better and better," she admitted with a smile and tilted her head to look up at him.

"I can make it even better," he suggested and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

"What about your day?" she asked as their lips parted. "You didn't look very cheerful when you came home either."

"Every time I manage to actually clear my desk there's a hundred new things to take care of and this mess with the antiques gang doesn't exactly lighten the load of work," Nick let on wearily.

Jo looked at him waiting for him to continue.

He reached up to rub his temples. "I've been on the phone with CID several times and I've been delegating things to Mike and Phil. I have had the lordship's keeper at the station to express his concern about the unique garden decorations at the hall. Can't have them stolen so close to the upcoming fox hunt," he said sarcastically. "Then Blaketon strolled in like he was still in charge and demanded to know what I'm doing about the situation," he added.

Jo couldn't help but smile at his slightly pouting look. "And what _are_ you going to do about the situation?" she asked.

"I sent Mike out on a little nightly trip to Hillsdale Farm and stationed Phil at the Ashfordly Estate," he let on with a smirk. "And Alf is standing by at the station."

"I take it you're popular at the moment?" she asked teasingly.

"Mmm, actually I'm heading back in a couple of hours," he replied. "Has Katie gone to bed?" he asked.

"Yes," Jo returned, unable to keep all of the disappointment out of her voice, as she let him up from the sofa. "Here I thought we were going to have a nice and quiet dinner just the two of us."

"Sorry, love, another time," he apologized.

OOOOOO

Dr. Neil Bolton felt quite nervous as he walked through the door to the village pub. It wasn't like he was expecting trouble, well no more than usual, but still, he couldn't put a finger on it.

The pub in question, the Aidensfield Arms, was lively and full of people at the early evening hour and he had to mumble a few excuses and pardons to people he bumped into on the way to the counter.

Gina Ward quirked her lips slightly upward as she saw him coming and nodded to him. The action made the beautiful woman, who sat next to the barmaid with her back turned toward him, stiffen and then hesitantly turn around.

"Hello, Maggie," Neil said softly.

"Hello, Neil," she replied politely.

He blinked and let out a small sigh, disappointed. He knew that hesitant smile. She wore it just to be civil as she said she would be. Even though several years had passed since they had last seen each other he knew her fairly well. And just seeing her again made him feel better somehow.

No matter what he did he seemed to do it wrong. He had just appeared on her doorstep and he had taken a job at Ashfordly General Hospital without telling her. He had tried to talk things through about their baby that died a short period after Maggie had given birth but even though she answered some of his questions she was still guarded about it and he could still see the pain in her eyes as she talked about it. However, at least now she did talk about it some.

Then he had neglected to gossip about the police sergeant, Blaketon, telling her it was a confidentiality thing, a doctor and patient confidentiality. More arguments followed during the police officers recovery. After that he had tried to talk to her about his suspicions about the death in custody at the Ashfordly Police Station a month later. That didn't go too well either as he told her he thought that the fairly young sergeant ran a sloppy operation. Unfortunately Nick Rowan appeared to be a topic that stood Maggie close and at some point he had started to wonder just how close they stood. Then again he had met Jo Rowan and knew that the sergeant was happily married so he needn't feel jealous about it. He chuckled inwardly. It was ironic in a way because when he had first arrived he had hoped to see Maggie and talk to her but nothing more. Then as time passed he felt the feelings he once held for her come back.

He collected his thoughts and turned to Gina. "I'll have a pint please Gina and…" he trailed off and waited for Maggie to tell him what to order for her.

"An orange juice for me, Gina," she said softly with a friendly smile, looking directly at the barmaid.

"One orange juice and a pint coming up," Gina replied and reached for two glasses. "Go into the snug, it'll be more private and you'll be able to talk to each other without being forced to shout over the noise," she added.

"It's a good idea, thank you," Neil said, grateful for the suggestion.

A moment later the doctor and nurse sat down opposite each other at a quiet table.

"I'm sorry I was a bit short before," Maggie began. "I'd just lost a little boy over at the maternity ward. I wasn't prepared for the conversation you wanted to pick up," she added.

"I believe it's me who owes you an apology," Neil returned sheepishly. "I didn't know."

"How could you?" Maggie said, her voice not gentle nor accusing, only brittle.

Neil looked down at the table as if stealing himself for what he was going to say and then refocused on his beautiful wife. "When I first came back here I didn't know whether you would still be here or not. I didn't have any plans to revive our relationship but now, the more I see you…" he trailed off and looked at her, locking eyes with her. "I want to see you Maggie but only if you would see me," he said hopefully.

"I need a bit of time Neil," she reasoned in a subdued voice. "When you walked out on me all those years ago I thought it would be the last time I ever saw you. I lost the baby and I lost my husband. I had nothing left Neil," she said sadly and the raw emotion in her voice, reflected in her eyes, cut through his soul, leaving him regretful.

"I can't just turn on my feelings for you again. It doesn't work like that," she explained.

Neil nodded and unconsciously bit his lower lip. "I understand," he said, fighting to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_3/28_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four – A Nightly Visit **

Bernie Scripps yawned tiredly as he arrived at the garage the next day. He frowned as he found the door was still locked and no one seemed to be around.

"David?" he hollered as he turned around, sweeping the main street and its surroundings with his eyes.

The man in question was nowhere in sight.

Bernie jumped slightly as a horn sounded behind him.

"Scripps," Lord Ashfordly began dryly. "Can I have some service?"

"Of course, Lord Ashfordly," Bernie assured him with a polite smile before quickly disappearing through the garage door.

The Lord sighed in annoyance and rubbed his tired face before drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

"I'm so sorry, your lordship," the garage owner apologized as he came back out and unlocked the pump. "I thought you would be away in Scotland?" he asked curiously.

Ashfordly nodded. "I was but I grew tired of it and decided to go home earlier," he explained. "The hunt needs to be planned properly, guests were invited a long time ago."

"Yes, the early fox hunt," Bernie said, reminding himself, wondering briefly if his lordships rather reckless sister would turn up at the event.

"That would be all," Lord Ashfordly clarified as the pump chirped, indicating the tank was full.

"Oh," Bernie said softly, his musings broken by the sound of his lordships voice.

"Put in on the bill," he said and then nodded curtly. "Thank you."

Bernie looked after him, as his lordship took off in his Bentley, the petrol pistol still in hand.

There was a sound of screeching tires and then a soft thud as David ungracefully swung his leg over the frame of the bicycle. The younger man half-ran, half-jogged up to him with an apologetic expression on his face.

"Mr. Scripps, I'm so sorry I'm late," he said by way of greeting.

"Where have you been?" Bernie asked incredulously. "I thought we decided you would get here early today. If I had known you weren't to come I would have left home earlier," he reasoned, his voice still soft but with an undertone of disappointment.

"I…I was up at Mr. Greengrass' place," David admitted.

Bernie sighed heavily. "What's he up to now?" he asked, not sure he really wanted to know.

"Well, you see, he's brought home some goats and we're going to deliver milk and such to the grocery store," David said as his eyes twinkled, excited by the whole thing.

"And what do you get out of it?" Bernie asked bluntly.

"Well, I get to learn how to do cheese," he said, beaming happily.

"That's very good David, but what do you gain from it?" Bernie asked, rephrasing his question slightly. "Claude isn't exactly known for sharing his gains. More like sharing his expenses," he muttered.

"I like the goats," David said happily. "I don't mind spending time with them."

"Well then, if you're finished with the goats then maybe you could help me in the garage, like you're supposed too," Scripps muttered in a low tone.

OOOOOO

Phil Bellamy stifled a yawn and blinked his tired eyes open. With slight curse he wondered how long he'd nodded off on duty. Casting a quick look on his watch he relaxed. He'd only missed fifteen minutes. During that time it would have been difficult to lift the heavy figures in the Lordship's garden onto a lorry and get away. However, just to be on the safe side he peered through the plants he was hunched behind and then let his flashlight shine on the surrounding area. Relieved he saw the statues where still at their places. Letting out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding he wondered briefly how Mike was fairing out in the middle of nowhere.

OOOOOO

PC Mike Bradley quietly walked down the deserted road up to Hillsdale Farm, his senses sharp as he listened for anything out of the ordinary and scanned the surrounding area through the faint glow of the flashlight in hand. When he could spot the walls of the barn at a fairly close distance he switched off the light so that the beam wouldn't give away his location. He waited a couple of minutes as his eyes adjusted to the darkness around him. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at things, the moon shone brightly over the landscape. He had deposed of his motorbike further down the road so as not to arise suspicion, this however was to both his sergeant's and Alf's dislike since he couldn't be reached and therefore couldn't get any backup. However, he had argued that he had a better chance of spotting something that way.

He crunched behind a large tank of some kind and then rounded the corner of the barn, heading for the door. When he had deduced there was no one around he quietly entered and clicked on his flashlight.

The first section had a lot of hay stacked neatly at the far end, but was otherwise empty. He proceeded further into the building and came out into what once appeared to have been a stable of some kind. The boxes, hadn't been cleaned and hadn't it been for all the dust one might have expected for the large animals to come in from the pen or ride at any minute. It was an eerie silence except for his own footsteps and he felt uneasy as he walked up to the back of the section and carefully peered through a small crack in the wooden door that led to the last section.

Mike slowly, gently, pushed the door open and headed into what looked like a garage. Tools and other equipment lay scattered on the floor, again it looked like someone would walk through the door at any moment. An old car stood raised on a lift and as the flashlight danced over it Mike felt the hair at the back of his neck rise. It was the red car Claude Greengrass had seen. Only, taking a closer look at it he saw that the designation was not of a MG-TA but of a MG-TF. It was a rare car, worth a small fortune. So the question was; what did it do at a seemingly abandoned place in the middle of nowhere?

The young constable took one quick look around the premises before silently heading out through the outer door. He walked across the courtyard and up to an old henhouse. He was mildly surprised to see a padlock stuck to the door and walked over to the window. The beam from the flashlight illuminated several crates stashed on top of each other. Mike sighed in frustration, if he could only get inside somehow.

His train of thought was interrupted by a scraping sound coming from the house. The constable ducked behind the corner of the henhouse and quickly killed the light. He waited, feeling his pulse quicken. Several dreading minutes past before he carefully dared to peek around the corner. No one seemed to be around. Mike chuckled slightly, shaking his head at the absurdity of the situation. A grown man hiding behind the corner of a henhouse when nothing appeared to be near.

He got up on his feet again and then involuntarily ducked as a large owl brushed by only inches from his head. Mike let out an audible sigh and then took his cue to leave.

OOOOOO

Sergeant Nick Rowan yawned and rubbed his tired eyes before tiredly casting a quick glance at his watch. It was almost three in the morning and nor Phil or Mike had reported something strange. Not that Mike was anywhere near the radio receiver but he had to keep up the hopes that everything was well.

Was it like this to be a sergeant? He wondered. To worry about your constables when they were out in the middle of the night, looking for anything suspicious. He had ignored Blaketon's concerns on several occasions when he had been out on patrol but now he began to realize just how it was to be at the other end, to sit on the other chair.

Nick sighed and reached into the top drawer of his desk and retrieved a stack of papers. He absentmindedly flickered through them, staring at the beautiful places of the Canadian wildlife. He had meant to leave Aidensfield much sooner, when Kate had died, but he couldn't, he didn't have the energy then. Perhaps he was ready now. As much as he loved the village and the people there it was the same every day. Blaketon would always look over his shoulder, Claude would always be involved in something and so on. When he and Kate had first arrived in Aidensfield he had been tired of London, tired of the hectic life and everything that came with the MET but now he needed it, more so than ever, needed the distance a larger area provided.

His eyes stopped on a folder from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for an instant, and then at the letter from DI Merton at the Scotland Yard. But then again, Aidensfield was a good patch, a relatively harmless patch. He wasn't afraid of going to work, wondering what the day would bring and he didn't fear for Jo and Katie. He was comfortable in his life and Jo seemed to love Aidensfield and that made his decision much harder.

OOOOOO

Several hours later, almost around noon the next day, Mike Bradley walked into the Ashfordly Police Station to find that Phil had just arrived, busily shrugging out of his coat.

"Hi, Mike," he greeted jovially.

The former London copper raised a questionable eyebrow. "Well you look awfully pleased this morning," he countered.

"He received a commendation from his Lordship," Alf piped up as he walked around the corner from the kitchenette. "Turned out he managed to scare someone off. The keeper saw a truck in the area around the estate."

"It so happens that my flashlight scared them off," Phil said cockily.

"It's good to know he's useful sometime," Alf muttered as he sat down in his chair.

Mike couldn't help but chuckle before turning serious again. "Has Sarge arrived yet?" he asked Alf.

Alf arched a curious eyebrow. "Found anything interesting last night?" he asked.

"Mostly ghosts," Bradley replied smartly and nodded toward the sergeant's office. "Is he in?"

Alf nodded.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_4/28_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five – Home Base**

"Gina," Jo said happily as she walked into the deserted pub, after all, it was before opening time.

The barmaid looked over her shoulder as she was facing the kitchen doors with a swab in hand. "Hey there, Jo," Gina replied. "What brings you over?"

"I have the day off and I figured we could go for a small shopping trip, you, me and Katie," she said.

"You know, check out the latest…," she trailed off with a smug look on her face.

"I would have loved to, it was such a long time ago," Gina said longingly. "But I just had a call from Lord Ashfordly and he would like for me to run a beer tent at the estate."

"At the foxhunt?" Jo asked skeptically. "I thought only high people where invited. Besides, on those hunts you usually have punch."

Gina chuckled. "Yeah, but this year's for the public too and for the land owners on which the hunt takes place on. "Old Jeremiah Hanley usually gives Lord Ashfordly a bit of trouble. May be he's trying a different approach." she added.

"Blaketon used to say it's all in the name," Phil hollered as he caught on to the conversation, coming through the door.

"Well then," Jo said, slightly disappointed. "Is there anything I could do to help out?"

"You might regret having uttered those words," the barmaid returned. "I tell you what, why don't you help out with the orders. Katie can come along too, I have some things for her upstairs to play with."

Jo nodded and then turned to Nick's colleague. "What brings you around Phil?" she asked curiously.

"Crime prevention," he let on. "You know, knocking on doors, trying to find out something new about the antiques gang."

"Sorry, Phil, I haven't heard or seen anything," Gina said.

"I was afraid of that," he returned wearily. "Well, then I guess I see you later. I'm off to Pickering," he added as he turned around with a half-smirk on his face and walked through the door.

Jo found it hard to keep a straight face as she turned to face her friend.

"What?" Gina demanded, not too amused.

"Can't you see he's sweet on you," she asked smugly.

"Of course I can, but some women like to play hard to get," she returned with a twinkle in her eyes.

OOOOOO

Nick looked at the file in front of him, on his desk, and slumped back in his chair with a deep sigh. The criminal in the photograph had a wicked quirk on his lips and it seemed like he stared at him through the paper.

DI Shiner had managed to get his hands on the file through the CID archives and it had been sent up to Ashfordly as soon as possible. The man on the picture was actually deceased but the resemblance to the man who had been in their custody until one hour ago was striking. Nick straightened and turned to look at the name displayed beneath the picture one more time before closing the file.

"Denny Jones," he mumbled gloomily.

There was a knock on the door and the minute later Alf Ventress walked through with a cup of tea in his hand. "Hello, Sarge, I thought I bring you a cup of tea," he said kindly.

"Thanks Alf," Nick said softly, knowing Alf was interested in what the CID had brought over.

"So," the old copper began and nodded toward the file on the sergeant's desk, "is there anything interesting?" he asked casually albeit curiously.

A quirk crept over Nick's lips as he handed over the material to his former equal. "It seems our Ted Jones has an older brother…," he made a face and corrected himself, "…had an older brother, who had a bit of trouble with the law."

"Well, well," Alf returned as he too studied the photograph. "Seems you did the right thing to have Mike shadowing him for a while."

"I can only hope he's as bright as he let's on and leads us to the hornets' nest," Nick said.

OOOOOO

Claude Greengrass beamed happily as he got out of the grocery store with a bundle of pounds in hand. He nodded at Alfred who waited patiently by a pollard just outside. "Come you naughty dog," he said jovially. "Let's get home."

One of the Aidensfield districts goat farmers walked past him, on his way to the post office and cast a jealous glare at the old crook.

Greengrass waved his hand, knowing full well it would infuriate the man, and made sure the money was visible as he gently tugged at Alfred's leach with the other hand and began to whistle, making his way toward the lorry.

Albert Alsop walked into the post office with his back first with a glare in the direction of Greengrass, his hands turning into fists.

Oscar Blaketon frowned as he walked behind the counter. "Good afternoon, Albert," he greeted. "Is there something I could do for you?"

The farmer turned to face the former police sergeant, his jaw set and his eyes dark. "You could start by wiping that smug of off Greengrass' face," he replied.

"As long as he hasn't done anything illegal…" Blaketon began.

"Oh, he has done something illegal, I'm sure of it," Albert cut him off. "For starters he got those goats at a too convenient prize back at the auction. I was there, tried to buy them."

"I hate to say it but unless you can prove anything, there's nothing that can be done," Oscar returned in a friendly manner, trying to get the other man to calm down a bit.

The goat farmer sighed. "I guess you're right, he just gets on my nerves every now and then," he let on.

Blaketon looked down at the paper in his hand. "Stamps?" he asked.

"What?" Albert asked and then followed Oscar's gaze. "Yes, of course."

"You know, I could have a look into it if you'd like," the former sergeant offered. "See what I can come up with."

OOOOOO

Bradley eased off the throttle, careful not to be spotted as he drove his motorbike down the dwindling roads outside Ashfordly, following their previous prisoner. After what seemed like an eternity the man pulled up in front of an old office complex at the center of the larger village called Pickering.

Mike carefully drove around the corner, killed the engine and got off, reaching for the radio.

"Delta-Alpha-two-four to control," he said.

There was a crackle and then Nick's voice came on the line. _"Delta-Alpha-two-four this is control receiving." _

"Sarge, Jones just pulled up outside an old office complex down in Pickering. The same address that Charlie Chadwick's office is supposed to reside in," he explained.

"_Understood, I'll have Phil rendezvous with you, he's down there now, at the police station,"_ Nick said_. "And, Mike, you don't go in before he arrives, is that clear?"_ he added.

"Yes, Sarge," he promised.

OOOOOO

"Oh, I'm totally bushed," Gina complained lightly as she stretched to work out the kinks in her back.

Jo glanced over her shoulder from where she sat at a table, near the fireplace at the pub, and smiled in amusement.

"At least I think we have everything ordered for the upcoming foxhunt by now," the barmaid added happily.

"I have to admit," Jo began, "I didn't think it would be this much work."

"I understand Uncle George was pretty busy placing orders, making sure everything was cared for and paid for and that the customers were happy with the service," Gina let on as she walked over to sit down next to Jo, casting a glance to the teacher's right to see little Katie silently playing with one of her dolls.

"She's so easy, she hasn't been complaining at all while we have been sitting here, almost completely ignoring her," Gina said, impressed with the young girl. "My niece is anything but this calm and happy."

"I think it's time we better start thinking about going home," Jo said softly following Gina's gaze to look at Katie. "By the way, you better get ready for the thirsty horde that's going to burst in here any minute, considering it's almost after work hours," she added with a twinkle in her eyes.

Gina rolled her eyes. "The same old thing you know, someone trying to buy me a drink, flirting with me and another refusing to pay, the latest gossip…" she trailed off.

Jo chuckled. "Why don't you go out more with Phil?" she asked.

The barmaid sighed. "He's a nice bloke but…I don't know Jo, I don't really think he's my type and by the way I'm a licensee and he's a copper. It just wouldn't work."

"You don't know until you've tried. I never imagined being a sergeant's wife and my mother definitely didn't," Jo reasoned. "Keep in mind that he was a widower and the father of a little child," she added.

"Come on Jo," Gina began with a smart look on her face. "It's Nick we are talking about here. He's got the looks, the charm and pretty much everything. You should see how many of the female visitors around here turn their head when he's around," she teased.

"I really hadn't thought about it that way, maybe I shouldn't let him go to the pub alone," Jo replied with a smile.

The door opened and the district nurse walked in. She spotted the two of them sitting comfortably next to the fire with Katie not too far away and walked over to them.

"Well, what's going on here? Are you sitting around gossiping?" she asked with a cunning smile.

The corner of Gina's lips quirked upwards. "Guilty as charged," she let on.

"Then I wish I had come sooner," Maggie said as she sat down next to them.

"I don't think you've missed much," Jo explained and glanced at Gina and then turned back to Maggie. "We were just discussing the men in our lives."

Maggie made a surprised face with a twinkle in her eyes. "I didn't know Gina had something going," she said curiously.

"I don't," the barmaid protested.

"She's sweet on Phil," Jo teased, clearly enjoying the moment.

"I'm not," Gina returned slightly annoyed. "Well, maybe a little."

"And he's sweet on you," Jo continued.

"I think we better help them in the right direction," Maggie said cunningly.

Gina cast them an indignant look as she got up to head behind the counter.

Jo and Maggie burst out in a restrained laughter.

"Well, then we better get going," Jo said sobering up. "Katie needs something to eat and I need to do the dishes before Nick gets back home."

Maggie glanced at the clock hanging behind the bar. "Yeah, I better finish up my rounds for today. I'm off to see old Mrs. Wilkinson," she explained as she got up from the chair.

"I forgot to ask; how's it coming with Doctor Bolton?" Jo asked as she gently lifted Katie and the doll.

Maggie sighed. ""Don't ask," she said unenthusiastically. "At least now I'm going to someone who actually shows that I'm appreciated company."

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_5/28_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six - Questions**

Mike glanced at his watch in irritation. "Come on Phil, what's keeping you?" he mumbled.

He carefully began to walk toward the entrance of the building, leaving his motorbike around the corner and smiled faintly as Phil came walking around the other corner.

"Shall we enter then?" Phil suggested.

"What happened? Did the car break down or something?" Mike asked.

"No," Phil returned, "I just couldn't find the accelerator," he replied smartly.

His colleague rolled his eyes as he pushed the door open. Despite the clock passing half past six in the evening people came and went like normal working hours.

"Seriously Mike, I just came from our equivalences in this town and there aren't any records of a Charlie Chadwick," he said as Mike turned to him with a questionable look on his face. "Okay, there's an office rented in the name of Charlie Chadwick but the man himself doesn't exist. Apparently the CID has taken interest in him but no actions has been taken against him, nor the so called legal business that Ted Jones spoke off," he added as a way of explanation.

"So Shiner has got his eyes peeled on him already?" Mike asked.

"Seems that way but it's hidden in darkness, the whole operation. I don't think they have anything to go on yet," Phil explained. "Seems the only thing they have is circumstantial."

Mike made a face as they stepped into the elevator in the lobby. "What exactly is his business?" he asked curiously.

"He is manufacturing toys," Phil let on with a raised eyebrow.

"Doesn't make sense. Why would someone manufacturing toys hire an old worn down lorry garage in Ashfordly?" he returned.

"More importantly; who is this guy really?" Phil countered.

OOOOOO

Alf Ventress looked up as the door jingle sounded and then back at the newspaper in front of him as it wasn't the person he was supposed to meet. He enjoyed the peace and quiet, the atmosphere in the café, but he'd really fancied having a beer. Instead he puffed lightly on his cigar and cast a sideway glance as he thought he saw one of Mrs. Ventress' friends. He was so caught up on it that he missed that his company had arrived and jumped as the man sat down opposite him.

"For a police officer you don't have the right feeling for private investigating," Oscar Blaketon said sharply.

Alf blew out a large puff of smoke. "For a moment there I thought I'd been recognized by one of Mrs. Ventress' friends, a real gossiper," he said.

Oscar carefully let his eyes roam over the nearest tables.

"I was wrong," Alf filled in. "And, speaking of gossip, what is it I hear about Greengrass and Alsop?"

"Alsop is convinced that Greengrass used foul play to get over the goats at the auction. He even considered that Greengrass was a middleman for that goat theft business that has been going on up in Scarborough," Blaketon explained.

"Huh," Alf snorted as he gently knocked the cigar at the edge of the ashtray. "The police in Scarborough apprehended the three young lads that rounded up goats in the area, a week ago," he let on. "As I'm sure you've heard on the radio and why should Claude have anything to do with it?"

"Come on Alf, the man has a way of getting into some shady business every now and then," Oscar returned, slightly annoyed at his friend.

"For your information I was at the auction because Nick wanted a police presence up there. It was the quietest auction I've ever been on. Everything went according to the book. Claude bought the animals fair and square," Alf replied.

Oscar looked down at the table.

"Let it go, Oscar. Albert is just jealous of him because he managed to do something that he never even had considered doing and got money out of it," Alf reasoned. "There's nothing to go on."

OOOOOO

"Hello, Gina," Mike said as he walked up to the bar with a charming smile.

"Hello, Mike," she greeted happily. "How's the new Aidensfield bobby settling in?"

He absentmindedly scratched his head. "Well, I hadn't really expected to get my own patch, you know, when I arrived here four months ago," he let on sincerely. "By the way; how long am I going to be _new_ around here?"

Gina ignored the last remark. "Well, it was due to happen," she said. "I mean with Nick more and more behind the sergeant's desk in Ashfordly someone has to take over Aidensfield, or at least take some workload off of his shoulders."

"Yeah, but still…after all the trouble that I caused in the beginning, you know the dead guy and all that…" he trailed off sheepishly. "And now this," he mumbled.

"What did Nick say?" she asked softly.

"Well, he wasn't too pleased about us screwing up, failing to catch this Ted Jones character down in Pickering," Mike muttered. "There was no sign of him you know, like the earth had swallowed him."

"Do you think of yourself as a bad copper?" she asked.

"No," Mike replied.

"There you go," she said with a soft smile, her dimples appearing.

Mike gave her an appreciative smile and was about to say something when Phil walked through the door and headed straight for the bar.

"There you are," Phil said somewhat relieved at having found his colleague but not at having found him with his love interest. He pushed away the jealousy he was feeling and nodded. "Look, we better head over to the station. Sarge called on the radio, something's up," he said.

Mike returned the nod with a frown and then turned back to Gina. "I guess I see you when I see you," the constable said and offered an apologetic half-smile.

"Cheerio," the barmaid returned and looked from Mike to Phil and then back again.

As they had walked out through the main entrance Phil stopped and turned to face his colleague, setting his jaw.

"Whoa, Phil, what's the matter?" Mike asked casually.

"Is there something going on between you and Gina?" he asked bluntly.

Mike shrugged. "She's a fun girl and quite good-looking too," he said.

"Like I didn't know," Phil mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Mike asked with an incredulous look on his face, not really getting what it was his colleague was so upset about.

"Nothing," Phil finally managed. "I see you back at the station," he added sourly as he jumped into the car.

OOOOOO

Nick nodded tiredly from where he was standing, next to Alf Ventress' desk, to his officers as they walked through the door to the station.

Mike and Phil hastily sat down on their respective chairs waiting for him to speak, their coats on and their helmets in hand.

"I've just been on the phone with DI Shiner and we have come to an agreement that it's best for us to coordinate our efforts. It seems this Ted Jones is involved in something more than just, perhaps, the antiques thefts," he explained and turned to look at Phil. "As our colleagues from Pickering told you this Charlie Chadwick character is dodgy at best and DI Shiner has had him under surveillance for quite some time. Unfortunately nothing has been revealed," Nick finished.

"What now, Sarge?" Mike spoke up. "Are we allowed to get intel about this from CID?" he asked.

Nick nodded. "DI Shiner will arrive tomorrow and explain the situation from their angle and together we might be on to something," he explained. "But first…," he added and pointed at Mike and Phil, "…we are going to catch some burglars."

"Sarge?" Alf asked curiously as he leaned forward in his chair.

"Seems the bait we put in in the newspaper a couple of days ago, about the valuable statues in Mr. Simpsons garden, has stirred something," Nick let on, looking smug. "He called me earlier and said that it was his impression that someone had been there tonight and done some reconnaissance."

Mike smiled, catching on to Sergeant Rowans' train of thoughts. "We might have lost Ted Jones but we still have a chance to stop this antiques league," he said.

OOOOOO

Three hours later Alf Ventress had just gotten off the phone with Mr. Simpson as Nick and Mike came out of the corridor leading from the holding cells.

"Two down one to go," Mike said happily.

Nick nodded. "I guess I shouldn't be satisfied with that result but strangely I am," he said.

"Yeah, bait paid off, Sarge. It was quite cunning," Mike praised.

"I thought so too, Mike," he replied with a smirk.

Alf looked up as the two of them walked out in the duty room. "Sarge," he acknowledged. "I've just spoken to Mr. Simpson. He's grateful we managed to prevent the men from raiding his garden," the old copper said.

"I'm glad he let us use it in order to catch them," Nick returned and scrutinized him for a moment with a slight concerned look. "Are you sure you're alright Alf?" he asked softly.

Mike chuckled as he too turned to look at his older colleague and at the quite impressive shiner that was turning vivid colors on his cheek.

"He got in a lucky punch that's all," Alf replied casually with shrug. "I was this close to nailing him," he added. "By the way, where were you? I could have used some backup."

"Busy hauling the other guy to the panda car," Mike returned, hands crossed over his chest.

Alf made a face and turned to his former equal. "And you Sarge?" he questioned.

"Cuffing another one to the gate while heading up to the house to make sure nothing had happened to Mr. Simpson," Nick said with a smirk.

"And I was here, manning the radio," Phil spoke up as he walked out of the kitchenette with a steaming cup of tea."

"Well, I think you should have that checked out properly, Alf," Nick said seriously. "I'll drop you off at the hospital on my way home."

"I'll take care of things here," Phil said.

OOOOOO

Mike Bradley whistled happily as he killed the engine on his motorbike and pulled down the support, jumping off of it outside the Aidensfield Arms. He nodded politely at an older couple as he passed them on his way in.

The pub was dimly lit and smoke hung in the air from several cigarettes smoked in the bar. The mood was high, cheerful even as he stepped through the inner door and into the room.

"Hello, Mike," Gina said joyfully albeit tiredly.

He smiled as he spotted her behind the counter busy with serving various customers, both local and foreigners. He caught himself chuckling. 'Foreigners?' he thought, 'that's probably what they call me too.'

"Come to lend me hand have you?" the barmaid asked with a grin.

The young policeman opened his mouth to say something but obviously changed his mind. Instead he frowned and reached up to scratch his forehead while glancing round the immediate area. "Well, you sure look like you could use an extra pair of hands," he said. "But I don't think Sergeant Rowan would approve of me handing out pints in my uniform," he added apologetically.

"Well, go on then, get home and change. I will wait for you," Gina replied cheekily. "Without uniform you're free to do what you like and, I know Nick. I call him a good friend of mine."

The former London copper smiled sheepishly and then there was a spark in his eyes. "Why not?" he returned. "I'll be back in two."

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_6/28_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven – Abandoned**

Jo stirred from where she sat dozing in the living room and tiredly glanced out in the small passageway leading to the police section of the house. "Nick?" she asked carefully as she thought she'd heard something.

"Yeah, it's me love, I'm so sorry. Something came up," he said wearily.

"You can't go on like this Nick," she complained softly. "I've hardly seen you this week. I preferred it when you brought the work back home with you to this."

"I'll make it up to you," he promised as he sat down next to her and put his arms around her.

"Katie has asked for you," Jo said as she leaned backwards in the sofa, looking up at him.

Nick looked away, feeling sorry for his daughter.

Jo studied him for a moment and then reached over to place a gentle hand on his forehead. "You're hot Nick," she said softly.

"Thank you," he returned cheekily. "I'm glad you feel that way."

"No, silly," she replied with a quirk.

He, determinately, but gently took away her small hand from his forehead. "There's nothing wrong with me Jo," he assured her as he placed her hand in her lap and reached up to take away a curl from her face.

"Well, in that case…" she trailed off as their eyes locked with each other.

They looked at each other for a moment, lost in time.

"Come on," Nick said suddenly with a cunning smile. "Let's head upstairs."

"If you insist," Jo returned with a gleam in her eye.

OOOOOO

"Hey!" An annoyed voice called out as Phil inserted the key into the lock to the holding cell section.

"You can't keep us here," another voice complained. "You've got no right, I demand a solicitor."

"Keep your shirt on," Phil countered as he walked down the corridor, not the least moved by their little speech. "May I inform you two gentlemen that you're in no position to demand anything," he added as he came to stand outside the holding cell housing both of the men taken into custody for trying to steal antiques.

"We haven't done anything wrong," the one who'd spoken up first said testily.

"Really? And what exactly _where_ you doing in Mr. Simpson's garden?" Phil asked curiously, his voice carefully neutral.

"Look, our car broke down and we needed to use his phone," the other suspect explained sourly.

"Now," Phil began in a serious voice. "I don't want any trouble so behave yourself."

The policeman carefully inserted the key in the lock and twisted the doorknob. He set his eyes on the shortest man, clad in a blue working coverall. "You will come with me," Phil said.

"And what if I refuse?" he challenged.

Phil raised a questionable eyebrow. "Why not? If your car broke down and you just needed to borrow the phone I don't really see the point of arguing with me over the matter," he reasoned as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Or maybe you have something to hide?"

The man let out a frustrated sigh. "Show me the way copper," he said.

OOOOOO

Nick Rowan looked up from where he was sitting, at the table in the interrogation room, as the door opened revealing Phil and Ben Barton, one of the two men brought into custody the day before.

"You're only wasting your time," the man muttered as Phil indicated for him to sit down opposite Nick.

"It's my time to waste, Mr. Barton," Nick replied casually.

Barton sat down and leaned over the table with malice in his eyes.

However, nor Nick or Phil paid any notice.

"Drop the innocent act," Nick said as he turned to look at the man instead of the folder in front of him.

"Charade?" Barton asked, baffled, making it sound like some hilarious accusation. "I'm sticking with the story. Our car broke down, I suggested that we should take a walk to the nearest cottage and ask for permission to use the phone," he explained, barely able to contain his annoyance.

"I'll tell you what really happened," Nick said in a low and serious voice as he leaned forward in his chair, his eyes locking with Barton's. "You and your friend, currently residing in the holding cell, decided to have a run for the money. You read in the newspaper the other day about Mr. Simpson bragging about his new antique statues. Considering what you've managed to steal so far you got cocky and careless, thinking it would be a walk in the park."

A faint curl appeared on Barton's upper lip as he straightened in the chair. "It's up to you to prove it," he challenged.

"The fact that you're not denying it is a good start," Nick returned.

"What you're suggesting is ridiculous," Barton said confidently.

Nick gave a ghost of a smile and decided to play his cards, he only hoped he could play them right.

"Tell me; did you ever wonder why Jones managed to get away?" he asked deadpan.

Some of the cockiness disappeared from Barton's face but he quickly caught himself. "Jones?" he asked dumbfounded.

"Come on, I thought you were smarter than you looked," Phil piped up, unable to keep the upward quirk from showing on his lip.

"Were the goods set to be delivered to the lorry garage?" Nick asked in a straightforward manner.

"No," Barton began pointedly. "What garage?" he quickly added.

"Don't play dumb, Mr. Barton, it doesn't suit you," Nick replied. "Considering the amount of antiques you've managed to nick right under our colleagues noses and then some under ours shows you're not wet behind the ears."

The man said nothing, unable to decide whether or not to brag about his achievements.

"How unfortunate for you that Ted Jones decided to switch home base," Nick said. "Thanks to him we managed to arrest you pretty fast."

Barton couldn't take it any longer. Enraged, he leant forward again with a malice in his eye that gave Nick involuntary goose bumps. "I knew something was wrong with that guy!" he said in barely controlled anger as he slammed his fist on the table.

Phil leant backwards in his chair, his eyes wide as saucers. "Calm down," he cautioned.

Nick gave a small triumphant smile. 'So this was the right guys after all and Ted Jones definitely had something to do with the thefts,' he thought.

"He wanted the money for himself!" Barton said, his voice still raised.

"Don't take it personally," Phil said smartly. "Everyone can be fooled," he offered with a sideway glance at Nick.

Realizing his mistake, Barton calmed down and gathered his wits. "I'm not saying anything more without a solicitor present," he said.

There was a knock on the door and the moment later DI Shiner's head popped through the opening, his eyes focusing on Nick.

The Ashfordly sergeant nodded and got out of his chair. "Phil, I think it's enough for now, take him around the back and then bring the other one here," he instructed as he walked out of the room.

DI Shiner waited patiently in the duty room as Nick came out to him. "Any luck?" he asked, wasting no time.

"I'd say so," Nick let on. "We know they're part of the antique gang and that they have connections with Ted Jones."

Shiner nodded. "That's good, Rowan," he commended. "Is there a possible connection to Charles Chadwick in all this?" he pressed.

"I can't tell yet, sir, but it is very likely," Nick replied.

OOOOOO

Gina Ward drove her little car over to the Ashfordly Estate and parked next to the large Bentley, gleaming in the afternoon sun.

She sighed as she got out of the vehicle and headed over to the door, a bunch of papers in hand.

Before she could place her hand on the bell, the door opened revealing the housekeeper.

"My lordship will be with you shortly, Miss Ward," Mrs. Kellet said politely.

"Thanks," Gina said in a friendly manner.

Kellet nodded with a ghost of a smile as she retracted into the house, leaving the young barmaid to stand on the porch.

Gina cast a quick glance at her wristwatch and then turned to look around the large park, surrounding the estate.

"Mrs. Ward!" Lord Ashfordly exclaimed as he stepped out. "I hope you haven't been waiting long."

"Not at all, your lordship," she assured him.

"I'm grateful you were able to accept my offer. I was a bit unsure whether or not you could, considering your uncle is no longer working alongside you," Ashfordly said, his voice hinting arrogance yet he was smiling.

Gina could easily hear the patronizing undertone in his voice and bit her tongue. "It might be a busy schedule but I assure you, my lordship, that I'm quite capable of handing out drinks over a counter," she said, keeping her voice as neutral as she could.

The rich Estate owner visibly relaxed. "Well then, it wasn't my intention to be patronizing," he said humbly. "It's just that I expect everything to go smoothly and I'm used to dealing with older men with various degrees."

"I assure you, Lord Ashfordly, that I will have everything set when the time comes," she said and looked down at the papers in her hand. "I came here to deliver the list of brands ordered and to discuss the price and so on."

Charles Ashfordly nodded. "I appreciate your businesslike manner," he said in approval. "Please come in and sit down."

Gina Ward smiled inwardly as she walked into the large Estate. Uncle George hadn't kept her in the bar just because she was his niece and now it was time to show it.

OOOOOO

"It's…it's not a bomb is it?" Greengrass said, trying to be funny, as Blaketon placed a rather large parcel on the counter.

"Who knows, Greengrass," the former sergeant said icily, not in the mood for any smart comments. "I can think of plenty who want to make your life miserable."

Claude harrumphed. "Can't be much more miserable than it is," he muttered and looked over at Blaketon in annoyance. "Are you going to charge me for it as well?"

"As much as it hurt my feelings," he let on, looking smug. "Unfortunately the fee for the parcel doesn't bring me any extra incomes, only the post office."

"At least there is some kind of justice in the world," Greengrass returned.

"What's in the parcel?" Blaketon asked, trying hard not to let his curiosity show.

"That, my dear Blaketon, is between the sender and me," Claude said eliciting a look of annoyance from the former sergeant, causing him to feel utterly pleased with himself. He gently lifted the parcel from the counter and headed out with the instructions for making good goat's cheese.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_7/28_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight – Let the Action Begin **

Alf quickly straightened in his chair and hastened to hide the newspaper he'd been skimming as the door to the police station opened. He let out a relieved breath as PC Mike Bradley walked through with his biker helmet under his arm.

"Are they still in there?" Mike asked curiously with a nod toward the interrogation room.

"Yeah," Phil said as he appeared in the corridor, coming from the kitchenette. "Shiner arrived an hour ago."

Mike made a face as he walked over to his desk and sat down. "So, any progress then?" he wondered aloud.

"Don't know, but the other guy revealed a thing or two," Phil replied with a look of satisfaction.

"Apparently they aren't so smart after all," Alf quipped as he once again unfolded the newspaper. "Those antiques thieves," he added.

"Unfortunately they made _us_ look like real fools," Mike countered.

"There will be no more antiques stolen," Phil said as he walked over from where he had been standing, behind Alf, to his desk and sat down.

"Don't say that," Alf returned. "That Jones character is still on the loose. Who knows what he's planning?"

Mike nodded. "Then there's that shady man, Charles Chadwick," he added.

Phil groaned inwardly. "What is wrong with you two? We've caught most of the antiques gang," he complained.

Mike opened his mouth to answer as Sgt. Rowan and DI Shiner walked out of the interrogation room. Alf lazily got out of his chair and nodded to Nick. "I'll take him back to his friend," he offered.

"Anything?" Mike asked curiously.

"Quite possibly," Shiner replied slightly positive before continuing. "We were right to believe there's a connection with this toy manufacturer, Chadwick."

"Apparently this guy got a little itchy when his name came up," Nick added.

"So those two really are our thieves?" Mike asked.

"No question about it," Shiner replied. "But there are still some lose ends that we need to tie up."

"The lorry garage?" Phil said, voicing the question on everyone's lips.

DI Shiner nodded. "What you and Constable Ventress found was no doubt goods from a nightly raid. According to our friend in the interrogation room that's where they store most of the statues before taking them to Whitby for shipping abroad," he explained.

"But we found only smaller items," Phil reminded him.

"And he said they stored the larger statues. I can't say why you walked in on a batch of small things," the DI replied.

"You mentioned Chadwick?" Mike spoke up.

Shiner nodded. "The name of his company was on the crates and boxes in the lorry garage," he said.

"I've called for a warrant to search the premises," Nick said. "We'll head over there first thing in the morning. I'll organize things from here to get everything set to go."

Shiner turned to look over his shoulder, at Nick, who was currently standing behind him, opposite Alf's desk. "I need to call in with the department," he said.

"Take the phone in my office," Nick offered and watched the high-ranking CID officer walked away before turning to PC Bradley.

"Mike, can I have a word with you in private?" he asked kindly with a nod toward the interrogation room.

"Sure, Sarge," the constable said and got out of his chair.

Nick walked after him and closed the door behind them.

"I know you only wanted to help out at the pub last night but up here everyone knows you're a copper and it's not appreciated among everyone to have you serve beer," Nick admonished as he sat down in the same chair he had vacated approximately thirty minutes earlier.

"There's no harm done," Mike replied, failing to see the relevance as he took a seat opposite his superior officer.

"I'm afraid there is," Nick countered. "This isn't London where you can walk around and do things without exposing what you do."

"But Sarge," he protested.

"This is Aidensfield we're talking about, it's a small community," Nick said seriously. "They look up to us in order to assure order and structure. If you're going to be more involved there you must have their respect."

Mike nodded and looked down at the table.

An amused look crossed Nick's face and his upper lip curled slightly upward as he remembered all the trouble he had at the beginning. "They love to gossip, especially at the pub. And sometimes they manage to spread the most ridiculous rumors you can ever imagine."

Mike couldn't help but smile, smitten by his superior officer. "I take it you have some experience," he said.

"Some good, some bad," Nick let on cryptically.

OOOOOO

Gina Ward got into her coat and walked out of the house. It felt like she could need some fresh air after last night. Her emotions were in conflict as she kept comparing Mike Bradley to Phil Bellamy in her mind. The former had been a blessing behind the bar and they'd talked all night, had a lot of fun.

She looked left and then right before crossing the street, heading straight for Bernie Scripps at the garage as he stood just outside polishing up the pump.

The old burial entrepreneur and garage mechanic looked up at the sound of clicking heels and smiled kindly as he spotted the barmaid coming up to him.

"Hello, Gina," he greeted.

"Hi, Bernie," she said cheerfully. "Cleaning the pumps?" she asked.

He nodded. "With all the foul weather recently and the fair amount of cars passing I thought they needed a bit of tidying. Besides, Lord Ashfordly's foxhunt is closing in," he reasoned.

Gina nodded and looked over his shoulder and into the garage through the half-opened door. "How's David doing?"

The minute she'd finished asking something smashed inside the garage. Bernie wearily looked down at his shoes and reached up with his hand to rub his face, briefly closing his eyes.

"Well," he began as he turned to look at her once again. "All things considered he hasn't put me out of commission yet. However, I think it's best if he helps out with the burial services, maybe filling up gas, when it comes to mechanics I just don't see it happening," Bernie offered kindly with a twinkle in his eyes.

Gina laughed. "He means well," she let on.

"Yes, I know," Bernie said in exasperation. "I just imagined I might actually get some help out of it. And now that Claude has managed to drag him into that goat business of his, David isn't here as much as I thought he would be."

"Goat business?" Gina asked curiously.

"Haven't you heard?" Bernie asked confused. "I thought it was on everybody's lips. He is to deliver cheese to the grocery store and then some. Apparently it's a hot potato among the rich now, to eat goat cheese."

"Yeah, leave it to Claude to come up with the idea," Gina replied with a smirk.

"Was there anything I could do for you?" Bernie asked slightly amused.

"I was thinking my car needed a bit of service," she said.

"Bring it over later in the afternoon and I'll have a look at it," he offered.

OOOOOO

Sr. Maggie Bolton carefully pulled up in front of the main entrance to Ashfordly General Hospital, got out of the car and headed straight for the ward where they kept heart patients. Only minutes later she walked up to a bed where an old little lady lay, fast asleep.

Maggie gently reached out to take the woman's hands into hers and gave her a smile as she blinked her eyes open. "Good morning Mrs. Wilkinson," she said softly.

The curly haired, seventyish woman, smiled back, albeit weaker. "Sister Bolton," she said jovially. "It's so good of you to come, I feared I would be all alone."

"I'll visit for as long as you'll have me," Maggie assured her and squeezed her hand.

Mrs. Wilkinson opened her mouth to say something when Doctor Bolton strode over. She turned to him and nodded. "Good morning doctor," she greeted politely.

"Good morning…" he said before glancing down in his papers, "…Mrs. Wilkinson," he finished and gave Maggie a disapproving look before turning back to the patient again. "I will be back with you shortly."

Maggie frowned but said nothing.

"I need to have a private word with Sr. Bolton," he said and nodded toward his wife.

"Of course, doctor," Maggie replied, the tone in her voice guarded as she plastered a polite smile on her face.

"Take your time," Mrs. Wilkinson piped up. "I won't be going anywhere."

Neil waited just outside the doors to the ward as Maggie walked out to join him, unable to hide her annoyance at being interrupted.

"What are you doing here Maggie?" he asked softly but there was an undertone in his voice that sounded accusing.

"I'm visiting one of my regular patients," she said with a frown, not seeing where he was going.

"May I remind you that she is now under care at the hospital and that you needn't to attend," he said rather arrogantly.

"She has got no one, Neil," Maggie protested. "Everyone is entitled to some company."

"It's not for you, it's not your call Maggie, let the social service take care of it," he suggested.

"What have you turned into, Neil? I thought you were human, that you felt some compassion toward people," she said angrily, accusingly. "You turn up here all of a sudden, claiming it was my fault you left in the first place and then you expect me to throw myself into your arms when you come back four years later as if nothing's happened?" she questioned, unable to keep her voice down any longer. "And now you're meddling with how I chose to take care of my patients?" she said disbelievingly. "What's next, Neil? Are you going to accuse me of negligence for not being with her when she'd had her heart attack? Maybe I could have planned my route better and been there when it happened."

Neil raised his hands in a surrendering gesture. "Calm down Maggie," he said. "Let's be reasonable."

"I wish you hadn't come back Neil. I really wish you'd stayed wherever you went to," she said gloomily, with sadness in her voice as she turned to leave.

"Maggie I…" the young doctor began but it was of no use, she'd already walked through the door, heading down the corridor.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_8/28_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine – Reassurance **

David grinned from ear to ear as Claude brought over a cheese; their first goat cheese ever. Then his expression changed rather rapidly as the smell of it caught his nostrils. "I think there's something wrong with it Mr. Greengrass," he said carefully, not wanting to upset the old man.

Claude looked at him in annoyance as he placed the cheese on the table in front David before slowly managing to sit down himself. "It's made of goat milk in case you hadn't noticed," he returned sarcastically. "People aren't interested in ordinary cheese nowadays David, this is a gourmet."

Alfred's interest seemed to peak as David carefully picked it up from the table. The dog got up from where he lay next to his master's feet, put his front legs up in David's knee and barked lightly.

"It's not for you Alfred," Claude chastised as he retrieved a knife from the table and nodded at David to hand over the cheese to him. The petty criminal sliced two pieces, one for himself and one for David.

The slightly slow man happily accepted the slice and placed it in his mouth.

Rather amusedly Claude waited for David to spit it out. However, the man managed to keep it and down it albeit with a priceless grimace.

"Who eats this stuff anyway?" David said astonished as he reached for a bowl of water.

"It's for the rich," Greengrass let on with a smug look on his face. "Mr. Baker, down at the grocery store, has offered me a fair prize if I can deliver every week. He even paid me one week in advance."

"Well, that must mean a lot of cheese, Mr. Greengrass," David said confusedly. "How are you going to manage that?"

"You leave that to me, David," Claude said with a cunning smile.

OOOOOO

It was starting to get late when Maggie Bolton parked the Land Rover around the corner and headed for the entrance door to her rented apartment. After having had a trying day at work she was glad to finally go home and take a nice long bath. Sometimes she really missed the company of Jo, having someone to talk too, to share her problems with.

Maggie's attention was abruptly turned back to the present as a man stepped out of the shadows and into her path.

"Hello, Maggie," Doctor Neil Bolton said kindly.

"What do you want Neil?" she asked, her voice short. "Haven't you done enough for today?" she challenged. "You are the last person I want to see right now."

Neil carefully sidestepped as Maggie took a step forward and inserted the key in the lock to the main entrance hall.

"Can't we at least be friends again?" he tried and for a moment she thought she detected a hint of desperation in his voice.

"What is there to talk about, Neil?" she asked angrily as she walked through the door. "Look, we have talked about it, the case is closed."

"The case?" he echoed disbelievingly, following her inside. "Is that what you call us? Our life together…our son?"

A lump formed in Maggie's throat at the words thrown at her and she swallowed, stopping momentarily at the first step of the stairs, turning back to face him. "Don't start Neil, I don't want to hear it," she returned but her voice was cracking.

"Okay," he said sourly. "I take the hint, I'm not wanted. I'm sorry for bothering you, for trying to apologize for what happened at the hospital this morning."

"I don't need your overbearing ways, Neil, your cockiness or your arrogance. It took me a long time to get over us four years ago. I wished you'd stayed away," she returned, practically shouting the last few words at him before storming off toward her apartment.

Doctor Neil Bolton stared sadly after his estranged wife, regret painfully present in his eyes. "Good night, Maggie," he said to the empty staircase.

OOOOOO

Sergeant Nick Rowan put down the phone and rubbed his forehead. It had been a long day and it wasn't over yet. However, everything seemed to be in order for the day after. The warrant had come through and Shiner had called in some extra CID officers. The discussions about connections between Chadwick, Jones and the gang had been long and poorly conclusive.

Rowan jumped slightly as the shrill of the phone brought him back from his musings. With an exasperated sigh he lifted the phone to his ear.

"Ashfordly Police, Sergeant Rowan speaking," he said.

"_Sergeant Rowan," a dark, yet jovial, voice carried over the line. "This is PC Adams, Pickering police station," _he said by way of introduction.

Nick waited for him to continue.

"_The surveillance of the office building that was requested by senior CID officer DI Shiner has paid off. We have two men in custody. Stopped a delivery truck on its way from the back of the building. It was loaded with crates. Only there wasn't toys in them," _he informed.

A faint smile creased Nick's lips at the news. "Antiques?" he guessed.

"_Right on the spot," the constable concurred. We'll have our hands full just to sort out everything." _

"Thanks for letting us know," Nick said.

"_Anytime, Sergeant Rowan," Adams said, _ending the call.

OOOOOO

Jo looked up from where she sitting, on the floor, next to the fireplace as there was a soft knock on the door. Curiously she got up and closed the short distance to the entrance.

"Maggie," she said happily and stepped to the side to let her friend in.

The nurse gave her a ghost of a smile and sighed as she shrugged out of her coat.

"Maggie, what is it?" Jo asked gently seeing the saddened look on her face.

"It's Neil," she let on. "I don't know what he really wants Jo."

"Have you asked him?" Jo suggested as Maggie sat down at the kitchen table.

"It's like he expects everything to be as it was before…" she trailed off and looked at Jo who glanced over her shoulder from where she stood at the sink, filling the teapot.

"…before he left," she filled in rather hastily. "Anyway I wish he hadn't come here. People have started asking questions, Doctor Bolton – Sister Bolton."

Jo chuckled. "When it comes to gossip even Ashfordly is a small place, she said.

"You don't know how lucky you are Jo," Maggie said ruefully. "Nick is a wonderful man."

Jo smiled looking very pleased, on the borderline to smug as she sat down next to her friend. "Yes, he is," she concurred.

A faint smile crept over the nurse's lips as she looked down at the table.

Jo got serious. "Hey, Neil must have been that too if you decided to marry him several years ago," she reasoned.

Maggie looked up to face Jo. "Yes I suppose he was, we became madly in love. But then we were too young and many things have happened since," she said.

"Are you sure you have changed that much – either of you?" Jo asked softly.

"Maybe not," Maggie let on.

"There you see," Jo reasoned. "Maybe there's hope for you two yet."

"It's not that easy Jo," Maggie cautioned.

"Yes it is, if that's what you really want," she countered. "Do you remember when you talked me straight about Nick not wanting to be with me? That he rather chose to be on his job?"

Maggie smiled knowingly.

"Sometimes you need another point of view," Jo added with a soft comforting smile.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_9/28_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten – Double Trouble**

Nick's jaw was set and his hands lay crossed over his chest where he stood just outside the lorry garage. Annoyed he glanced at his wristwatch and deduced that they had just wasted almost an hour whilst attempting to search for stolen goods that obviously weren't there.

Shiner was furious as he got into the car after having found only a few broken shreds of porcelain that could have been a left over from the workers a long time ago.

Mike looked miserably after the CID officers as their car disappeared around the corner of the old building. He refocused on his sergeant, wondering what to do next. "I don't know, Sarge," Mike began, "this doesn't make sense."

Nick looked over his shoulder, his brown eyes hard and cold. "They knew we were coming," he returned cryptically as he started to walk back toward the garage.

The two police officers moved swiftly through the door and into the local once again, their flashlights cutting through the darkness illuminating empty crates and old tools that had been spread over the floor in haste.

"Charlie Chadwick," Nick mumbled angrily, barely audible. "I don't believe for a minute he's got nothing to hide."

Mike sighed in frustration as he walked over to take another look at the bench in the far corner of the room. He raised his eyebrows in confusion as the beam revealed a broken porcelain cup. "Sarge," he called.

Nick walked over to him.

"Look at this," Mike said as he pointed toward a marking at the bottom.

"Well, it looks like something is going on here, it's just the question of what and how it's connected to the thefts," Nick returned as he recognized the marking of a much valued collector's item, something the lorry workers certainly wouldn't use.

The constable was about to say something when he caught movement in his peripheral vision and whirled around, trying to illuminate the movement with his flashlight. "Sarge!" he spoke up, surprised.

Nick took off, making his way over the floor, heading toward an old stair. Mike wasn't slow to follow. They both ran upstairs and up on the second floor where Mike had spotted someone hanging around.

There was a foreboding quirk as the wooden floor structure protested the weight of the two policemen. Nick ignored it setting after the man who was halfway across the large storage area, heading for the next flight a bit further down.

A foreboding feeling swept over Bradley as he came across a sign that warned of imminent danger due to construction weaknesses. The floor was much worse up here and several planks appeared to be rotten. The factory had been abandoned for years and the decay was obvious.

Once upon a time there had been a flourishing industry in the large brick building with its ornamented façade and low windowsills. It was once a popular and proud part of Ashfordly that many people had as an office address. Then, after several years of overstocked supplies when demand was low, the old company finally went under.

After a while the area lost its charm and became a place where illegal affairs were made up. The owner of the company had no money left and to sell a factory wasn't an easy task so he simply left the buildings to their own fate and left them to whither. There had been talks about whether or not to preserve the buildings but, as usual, proceedings in the council could be very slow.

Joyce Jowett and Oscar Blaketon was obviously involved one way or another and had managed to divide the council in two stands.

Phil used to be on patrol certain nights in the area and he hated it, called it plain scary sometimes.

The unknown man, all dressed in black, suddenly sidestepped something and almost fell as his foot went through the floor. In panic he stumbled on with a slight limp and grabbed the railing of the spiral iron stair leading further up and away from the room filled with crates.

Although the beam from the flashlight had only briefly landed on the man's face it didn't take long for Nick to recognize him as the man that had bought the garage from the factory a year before.

"Jones, I know it's you!" Nick hollered, taking in on the man, sidestepping the hole in the floor and headed upstairs.

Only two steps behind, Mike climbed up after his sergeant.

Nick sprinted across the floor, gaining ground. Jones dared a glance over his shoulder and saw to his despair that the policeman was only an arm's length away. Another flashlight appeared only a short distance after the first and he knew he couldn't shake them off any longer. Sergeant Rowan jumped for his legs, managing to grab his left ankle, causing Jones to slam into the floor.

The planks shrieked under the weight and Mike swallowed as he directed the flashlight at his superior officer and the fleeing man.

Jones fought with everything he had to avoid capture, he flailed with his arms and legs, trying to kick away the police officer. Nick grimaced as Jones landed a well-placed kick in his gut. He lessened his grip of the man for a moment. Jones used that to his advantage and managed to squirm out of Nick's grip. He crawled over the dust covered old wooden floor but Nick wasn't that easy to get rid of. Jones lashed out once again, this time managing to hit Nick hard in the shoulder.

"Sarge, are you alright?" Mike asked worriedly as he came to a halt next to his superior officer.

Nick nodded in the semi-darkness, one hand clutching his shoulder.

Mike pursed his lips and immediately went after the fleeing man. The policeman rugby tackled the shady businessman and they both crashed to the ground. Mike didn't care about the pressure he applied, he retrieved the handcuffs and forced Jones's hands together behind the back.

"Ted Jones, I'm arresting you for resisting an arrest and causing bodily harm to a police officer," Mike said in low tones.

"Anything you've got stored around here that you want to show us?" Nick asked testily as he got up on his feet, his left hand still pressed to his right shoulder.

"What makes you think I have anything to hide?" Jones challenged.

"Maybe the fact that you've followed every step taken by the CID, and that you ran from us," Nick returned. "It makes us a little suspicious; that, and the whole business with a man that doesn't really exist."

Jones smiled creepily at the sergeant and then all of a sudden tried to break free of Mike's grip but the constable was prepared for it and grabbed him harder.

"I wouldn't recommend that," Mike said harshly.

A look of defiance crept over Jones face as he spun around and stomped on Mike's foot.

As Bradley let go Jones pushed forward but he only managed two yards before Rowan slammed him to the ground. Unfortunately it didn't stop there. The floor creaked forebodingly before cracking up and giving away beneath their feet.

One moment Nick felt Jones struggling beneath him and in the next he was freefalling. He was aware of flailing arms and muted voices and then there was only darkness engulfing him and he knew no more.

PC Mike Bradley groaned, coming to awareness slowly, his senses dazed and his mind uncomprehending of what had just happened. There was movement next to him and awkwardly he realized he was lying face down on the floor, surrounded by old rotten planks. He shook his head as if trying to clear his mind and gingerly rose into a sitting position. Not without effort he reached over to get the flashlight that had come to rest a bit further away, the beam still casting a hollow glow over the immediate area. The young constable coughed as dust still swirled around him and reached up with his left hand to his aching head. Dismayed he felt a bump the size of an egg forming above his left temple and traced it down to his cheekbone, whereas his fingers came away red from where the skin had split open. He let the flashlight sweep over his surroundings as the left hand absentmindedly returned to the bump.

"Sarge," he suddenly mumbled as he remembered he hadn't been alone.

Mike swallowed and felt the bitter taste of blood in his mouth and then froze as the beam of the flashlight illuminated a hand next to him.

"Sarge," he tried again, this time a little louder.

The light traveled up the length of the arm, over a once black police uniform, and further up to reveal Sergeant Rowan's face. His eyes were closed and the color had vanished from his cheeks. The paleness of the skin stood in stark contrast to the bright red blood that covered the left side of his forehead and trickled down over his ear, staining the beam beneath him.

Forgetting his own injuries Mike gently reached out with his hand to tap the side of Nick's face. When he got no reaction he steadied himself before placing two fingers on his superior officer's throat, trying to find a pulse.

Mike let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding as he felt a rhythm under his fingertips and sank back on his knees. "Hang in there, Sarge," he said hoarsely. "I'll go and get some help," he managed.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_10/28_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven – I Will Be By Your Side **

Jo narrowed her eyes slightly as she, out of the corner of her eye, saw the troublemaker; young Ethan Philpot, carefully retrieving a large rubber spider from his trunk.

She pretended not having seen it and decided to take a little stroll, down the narrow passageway that divided the school benches, so that she could keep a closer eye on the proceedings. She knew he was very keen on getting attention, either from a sweet little girl who usually sat in front of him, today was no exception, or herself.

Jo clasped her hands behind her back, a slight smile appearing on her face as she neared the boy and his friends. "Ethan," Jo said casually. "How's it going with the reading?" she asked.

The boy looked like he had been caught with the hand in a cookie jar but then, as suddenly as the surprise appeared on his face, it vanished and was replaced by a sly grin. The spider hastily hidden somewhere, probably beneath the table.

"I'm doing fine, Mrs. Rowan," he said cheerfully, a bit too cheerfully for her liking.

She eyed him suspiciously. "Okay, why don't you read a few phrases for me?" Jo suggested.

The other children curiously turned to look at him and his pale cheeks prickled.

"Well, I…" he began sheepishly. "Yes, of course ma'am."

His brother in arms, Jonny Watson, nudged him in the arm with a chuckle on his freckled face.

"Let him be, don't tease him," Jo cautioned. "Why don't you continue when Ethan is done?" she suggested.

There was a soft knock on the door and a moment later the headmistress popped her head inside the classroom.

"Mrs. Rowan, can I have a word with you?" The headmistress, Mrs. Watson asked.

"Yes, I'll be there in a minute," Jo replied. She then turned to the pupils, Ethan and Jonny in particular. "Don't think I'll let you get away from it," she said and headed forward in the classroom, stopping in front of the desk. "When I come back we'll listen to some reading and then I'll give you a few tasks to perform in connection to what you've been reading," Jo explained.

The headmistress looked troubled as Jo neared. The woman gently placed a hand on the young teacher's shoulder. "Jo," she began, mentioning for her to take a seat out in the assembly room.

"What is it?" Jo asked curiously, feeling a knot forming in her stomach.

The petite woman hesitated, not sure how to break the news. "I've just been on the phone with the police," she said.

Jo chuckled lightly. "I know you don't like that Nick calls me when I'm teaching…" she began.

"I haven't been talking to the sergeant," she said evasively. "Jo, there has been an accident…"

"No," Jo whispered, putting a hand over her mouth.

"Your husband has been rushed to the hospital," the headmistress added. "I'll look after the kids, just go now."

OOOOOO

Mike Bradley looked down at his hands as he and Phil Bellamy walked down the corridor next to the casualty section at Ashfordly General Hospital. "We had him, Phil," he complained in frustration.

Phil looked at him sombrely. His fairly new colleague was sporting a crisp white Band-Aid on his cheek and a vivid bruise was forming on his forehead. His chin had been scratched and he limped slightly as they headed for the entrance doors.

"It's not your fault, Mike," Phil said kindly. "You're lucky you didn't break something in the fall, or worse, killed yourself."

Mike briefly closed his eyes in defeat.

"Are you sure you're supposed to be walking around?" Phil continued worriedly, patting him on the shoulder, earning a glare as the action hurt. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "Look, Mike, we'll find Jones, somehow, I don't care how but we'll find him."

Mike nodded, a faint smile on his lips, in appreciation of the comforting words. "How's sarge?" he asked gloomily.

Phil looked away for a while as if gathering strength. "He's unconscious. Doctor Bolton is doing everything he can for him," he said.

"But…?"Mike asked, not sure how to proceed.

"It was the look on their faces; Doctor Bolton and Maggie. They didn't tell me everything, something is wrong, Mike, very wrong," Phil said worriedly.

OOOOOO

Jo walked through the entrance doors of the general hospital in Ashfordly as if in a daze. She hardly remembered having driven from Aidensfield or having parked the car just outside. Looking completely lost she walked up to the reception.

"Can I help you, miss?" a stern older nurse asked firmly but in a kind manner.

"I…" Jo began. "I…my husband was brought in earlier…" she was interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice.

"Jo," Sr. Maggie Bolton said as she walked over to her.

The young teacher turned around and Maggie could see the blanched look on her face but she tried to put on a smile.

"Nick is upstairs," Maggie said kindly as she put a reassuring hand on Jo's shoulder. She nodded and gave the other nurse, stationed at the reception, a warm smile. "I'll take it from here."

"What's happened Maggie?" Jo managed as they walked up the main stairs and onto the third floor, toward the ICU.

"Nick and Mike fell through the floor at the old factory," Maggie began softly. "Apparently they gave chase to a man from the antiques gang."

"The antiques gang," Jo echoed, her voice suddenly stronger with a hint of anger. "I'm sick and tired of hearing about them."

Maggie smiled warmly as they walked into the ICU ward.

"Where is he?" Jo asked worriedly as Maggie stopped outside a closed door to a cubicle.

The nurse swallowed, the look on her face suddenly much more serious, causing another knot to form in Jo's stomach.

Maggie turned around to face her friend and formerly housemate. "Nick is in here Jo, but I must warn you, he's a little rough and he's unconscious," she said gravely.

"But he will be all right?" Jo managed.

Her words were met by silence.

"Maggie?" she asked feeling herself become sick with worry.

The nurse twisted the handle and motioned for her to follow.

Jo gasped as she spotted Nick hooked up to various machines and monitors. His complexion far too white for her liking and the side of his head discolored in a variety of red, purple and blue. "Nick," she whispered.

Jo was so caught up in her own word of fear and despair that she hadn't noticed Neil Bolton standing next to her husband.

"Mrs. Rowan," he began regrettably, causing her to jump slightly at the sound of his voice.

She turned to look at him and seeing the grave look on his face she felt herself pale to the point where her complexion equaled Nick's.

"Mrs. Rowan, I'm sorry to tell you this but Nick has sustained a serious head injury, a few broken ribs, a sprained ankle and various cuts and bruises. Most things we can fix just by letting him rest. However, the blow to his head was so severe that his brain is swollen, the x-rays show signs of a bleed behind the frontal lobe…"

"What are you trying to say?" Jo interrupted him, her eyes focused on Nick's peaceful face.

"I'm saying, Mrs. Rowan, that your husband is in a coma and that there's no guarantee that he will ever wake up again," he explained seriously.

The statement turned her legs into jelly and had Maggie not steadied her she might have fallen.

"Are you okay, Jo?" Maggie asked carefully.

She nodded but said nothing.

"I'm so sorry," Neil said. "There's nothing I can do at the moment."

OOOOOO

Mike sank down on his chair in the duty room, every single joint and muscle seemed to be either stiff or hurting. He let his head come to rest in his hands, elbows on the desk.

Alf Ventress gazed at him with worry and then nodded at Phil who had taken his seat at his own desk. "Is he supposed to be here? He's just had a nasty fall. I'm surprised they even let him out of the hospital."

"I drove by Aidenfield, tried to tell him he should go to bed, take some pills for the pain and go to sleep, but no, he insisted on me bring him here," Phil let on, mildly upset.

"I'm such an idiot," Mike mumbled, barely audible to Alf's ears.

"Yes, that you are," Phil concurred.

"They were there, right in front of me," Mike whispered.

"How hard did you hit your head?" Alf questioned quizzically.

Mike sighed and straightened painfully. He gently massaged his temples and then raised his head, opening his eyes to look at his colleagues. "Back at Hillsdale Farm," he explained.

Phil and Alf looked at each other, having absolutely no clue about what Mike was getting at.

"When I looked through the window of the henhouse…I didn't realize it then… but in those crates lay the stolen goods. They must have been shifting it from the lorry garage while we were busy getting the warrant," he finished.

"Oh dear," Alf said as he reached for a cookie in his top drawer. "You better give DI Shiner a ring," he said looking at Phil.

"Me?" Bellamy questioned.

"Why not," Alf asked.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_11/28_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve – Sweet Deception **

Gina sighed as Claude Greengrass bragged on about his cheese for the third time. "If it's going so well Claude perhaps now is a good time to pay off your bill," she said dryly.

Claude's smile disappeared and he blinked repeatedly before chuckling slightly. "Well, maybe not _so_ good," he let on.

The barmaid shook her head and reached for the phone on the counter as it started ringing.

"Aidensfield Arms?" Gina said.

"_Gina, it's Maggie,"_ the nurse said sounding very far away when she spoke.

"Hi," the barmaid said cheerfully. "Look, when you see Jo next time could you tell her…"

"_That's what I wanted to talk about,"_ Maggie replied gravely causing Gina to have a very foreboding feeling all of a sudden.

"_Nick's been in an accident and Jo is sitting by his side. It's quite serious Gina. To be frank I don't know if he will wake up again,"_ Maggie revealed.

"What?" she managed.

"_I…could you get Katie home from the Potters?"_ the nurse asked.

Gina hesitated as she overlooked the pub, full of people. Troubled and torn between being a helping hand to a friend in need and see to her business.

Oscar Blaketon suddenly turned up next to her with an empty pint.

"Just a second Maggie," she said into the phone and covered the microphone with her hand. "Oscar," she said, feeling the need to use first name basis. "There has been an accident, terrible accident. Could you stand in for me at the bar?" she asked bluntly.

Surprised he put down his empty pint on the counter.

"Phil can't help out, he's a police officer and I don't really trust anyone else," she said sincerely. "I have Maggie on the phone, maybe you haven't heard but Nick is in a coma and someone needs to pick up Katie and… and Jo…" she trailed off realizing she didn't make much sense.

"Go, Gina," Blaketon said without hesitating. "Go, I'll take care of things for you."

"Thanks a bundle Oscar!" she returned and turned back to her phone conversation. "I'll take care of it Maggie," she said ending the call.

OOOOOO

"Report," DI Shiner barked as he walked briskly through the door to Ashfordly Police Station.

Mike grimaced as the raised voice cut through his skull. "We found Ted Jones; sarge and I," he said wearily.

"Where is he now?" Shiner demanded.

"He…got away," Phil spoke up hesitantly.

"Nick's in hospital, he's in a very bad way," Alf filled in.

DI Shiner raised questionable eyebrow as he turned his sole attention to Mike. "Maybe we should all start from the beginning?" he suggested in a friendlier manner.

"When you left the area earlier, we decided to have another look," Mike began as he rubbed his tired eyes.

Shiner crossed his arms over his chest and leaned backwards at the counter where complains were brought in.

"Sarge and I headed into the garage and storage area once again. We decided to go through it yet another time. We found a broken tea plate and turned it upside down to look for a marking of some kind, to see if it could hold any value. It turned out to be a very expensive plate, not one that you commonly use in a factory at tea time," Mike explained.

"Stolen goods," Shiner stated.

Mike nodded slightly, though the action hurt. "We caught movement up at the second floor and headed upstairs. We ran into a mutual friend, all dressed in black," he said sarcastically.

"Ted Jones," Alf drawled, earning a glare from the DI for stating the obvious.

"We managed to grab him, there was a commotion and then my memory is a bit hazy. But I do recall the floor giving away beneath us, sending the three of us into free falling to the ground level," Mike filled in and shrugged unhappily as he turned to look directly at the CID officer. "I never saw where he got too, we lost him and we may have lost Sergeant Rowan as well, in the accident."

Shiner nodded slowly, taking in the information given and dry swallowed. "I can't help Sergeant Rowan, but I'd be angry if I'd not been able to nail what seems to be the last member of the antiques gang," he let on.

"I'm afraid other people might be involved," Phil spoke up regrettably.

Shiner's analytical eyes fixed him in a stare.

"A couple of days ago I was sent on patrol and reconnaissance to Hillsdale Farm. The reason was that there had been some unusual activity. During my investigation of the premises I saw several crates laying around, neatly stacked, inside the henhouse. Unfortunately I didn't realize then that those crates contained the stolen goods that we were looking for in the lorry garage," Mike finished.

"Could it not have been hidden there by any of the members present in your custody or our nemesis, Ted Jones?" Shiner asked.

"Maybe so, sir, but there is something that doesn't fit," Mike said.

"A hunch?" the DI wondered aloud.

"One might call it that, and before you say so, sir, I 'm aware that we don't act upon hunches," the young former London copper added.

"I'm prepared to let you play your hunch, PC Bradley," Shiner said cunningly. "On one condition, that you'll go home, get some rest and call in with the district nurse tomorrow morning to certify that you're well enough for duty."

OOOOOO

Maggie exhaustedly sat down in a chair at the hospital lobby, her eyes stinging with tears.

Dr. Bolton quietly walked up to her and knelt in front of her, looking up to study her beautiful face. "Hey," he said softly. "I might not be the company you're looking for at the moment but perhaps I could drive you home," he offered.

She nodded absentmindedly, her mind miles away. Back to a time when Kate was still alive and fighting for her life.

"Maggie?" he said gently.

"I appreciate the offer Neil," she replied with a tired smile.

"Good," he let on with a faint smile of his own.

They walked in silence out to his white MGA. He opened the door for her and then walked around the car, keyed the ignition and pulled into the first gear. Maggie sighed, her mind involuntarily wandering back to when they had first met, that day back in York. She had been a newly assigned nurse and he a charming young doctor. He'd taken her breath away.

She broke out of her musings as he pulled up next to the building housing her flat. He got out of the car and opened the door for her. She nodded and smiled at him, appreciating the company. "Thanks," she whispered. "Do you want to come in on some tea?"

"I would love to," he answered.

She opened the door and let him in, shrugged out of her coat, took off her hat and released her long brown hair. "I'll put the kettle on, why don't you sit down on the sofa for a while?" she suggested.

Neil nodded and hung up his coat as she disappeared through the door to the kitchen. He carefully took a look around the living room, glancing at the framed pictures. On his brief visit earlier he hadn't had the time to notice them. Maggie was smiling on the pictures. One of them appeared to be of her and her older brother that Neil had met only once. Another was of Nick and a blonde woman with Gina, Phil and a few others in the background. He could only assume it had been taken on some party at the village.

"That's Kate Rowan," Maggie spoke up from behind him as she placed two cups of tea on the table.

He nodded and put the photography back on the shelf. "I have heard about her from some of my new colleagues," he admitted. "She was well liked."

Maggie chuckled as she sat down in the sofa. "I remember when I first met her. It was at the hospital, at the casualty section, she had just taken a ride with the ambulance together with an old farmer. Her clothes where dirtied and her hair a mess but she still managed to look graceful and she managed to save the patient from bleeding to death," Maggie paused and a pleased smile appeared on her lips. "Maybe I should add that she was seven months pregnant."

Neil raised a questionable eyebrow. "Surely as a doctor she should have known better than to put herself at risk," he pointed out.

Maggie pursed her lips together. "Ask Nick about what he thought about that," she said sadly.

"What Kate said she'd do she did, the only thing she weren't able to overcome was her sickness," Maggie explained, the last words coming out as a whisper only. "It was so horrible Neil, she looked me in the eye one day and said to me; "let's be realistic, Maggie, I'm going to die," the nurse looked up at her husband with a tear in her eye. "Two weeks later she was dead."

Neil looked at her awkwardly not knowing what to say to comfort her.

"I think she gave up. I just hope Nick doesn't," she finished with a quiver in her voice. "I'm not sure Katie could handle losing her father as well and Jo… she would be devastated."

Maggie took deep, calming, breath. "I suppose it's different for you, you don't know any of them but to me they're not just anyone, they're my friends. I've seen Nick slowly pulling himself together, managing to take care of his daughter, mostly on his own and then find love again, with Jo. For a while there I thought we had something but we would never be able to make it work. His feelings for Kate were so strong and I remember her as a friend. It would have been awkward, it felt like I was stealing something. And then Jo quickly became one of my best friends."

Neil nodded. Now he understood why Maggie was reacting so strongly. She still cared about Nick deeply but in a friendly way. Deep down he was relieved to hear her because it meant there was still hope for him. Maybe someday they could salvage their marriage.

"Thanks for listening," she said in appreciation.

"Thanks for talking to me," he replied softly.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_12/28_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen – Looking Into the Rear Mirror **

_Nick Rowan stood out on the moors, gazing for miles over the green-tinted hills in front of him. He looked to his right as a small hand inter-locked with his. _

_Kate Rowan looked up at him with a satisfied smile. She took a deep breath of the humid air in the late autumn. _

"_I'm so glad you talked me into moving back here, Nick," she said softly and squeezed his hand. _

_He returned her smile and sneaked an arm around her shoulder, dragging her closer. "Beats the busy streets of London," he returned cheekily. _

"_Yeah, it sure is different," she admitted. "But I wouldn't have it any other way." _

"_You've come a long way since we first arrived almost three years ago," Nick said. "I remember when you fought with Alex Ferrenby about the Maskell family." _

_Kate leaned into him. "I miss him, Nick, I miss the old fox," she replied sadly as she gazed out over the hillocks. "I'm not sure how I'm going to handle this with the practice and everything." _

"_Don't you worry about that love, you'll think of something," he said reassuringly. _

"_Well, worst case scenario, I'll have to set up the practice at home," Kate let on, her voice slightly teasing. _

"_Do you want me fired?" he asked curiously. "If Blaketon drops by and finds the police house full of patients I'm toast," he complained lightly. _

"_Don't you worry, love, you'll think of something," she replied mischievously. _

OOOOOO

Jo swallowed and reached up with her hand to wipe away a tear that had sprung from her eye. She raised her head, her eyes settling once again on the pale face that rested against the pillow in front of her. In a way he looked so peaceful as he lay there, perfectly still, his eyes closed and his left hand draped over his chest. He was in the same room as she yet he seemed so far away.

"Please Nick," she begged softly as she reached out to take his hand into hers, "please come back to me."

OOOOOO

PC Mike Bradley shifted in bed in annoyance as a sharp, piercing sound aggravated his dull headache. In annoyance he slammed his hand down the watch on the nightstand and cuddled beneath his sheets. Unfortunately the sound repeated itself and he grabbed the pillow, to put over his head, willing for the sound to go away. With a frustrated sigh, as he realized it didn't help, he threw the bedcovers aside and headed across his newly rented cottage to answer the ringing phone.

"Aidensfield Police," he answered, trying not to sound too groggy.

"_PC Michael Bradley?"_ the voice at the other end asked.

"Speaking," he said succinctly.

"_This is PC McCone calling from division in Whitby,"_ he said by way of introduction. _"I've got your number from a Mrs. Rowan, she said you'd know what to do with the information." _

Mike wracked his brain to try and think of anything Nick might have requested in connection to the case but failed to come up with one. He reached for a pen and paper on the nearby table and nodded despite knowing no one saw him doing it. "Fire away, PC McCone," he said.

"_A request was made concerning the finances made by a Mr. Charlie Chadwick. Several transactions have been made in that name, all accounted for and well presented to the law in terms of revision. It contains accountancies, numbers on stocks, several buys of crates and toys from the east and so on. There is one thing though; I took the liberty of checking up the person behind the transactions. Charlie Chadwick didn't exist until five years ago,"_ the thorough police officer said.

All sleep vanished from Mike's face and his senses instantly began to clear as he saw the operation in a new light. "Well, thank you Constable McCone," he said appreciatively.

"_I hope the information will be of use to you,"_ the man said sincerely.

"In more ways than you know," Mike let on cryptically before ending the call.

He turned to look into the mirror behind him with a renewed spark in his eyes as everything seemed to fall into place. "Charlie Chadwick," he said aloud to himself. "Ted Jones…Denny Jones," he deduced.

His musings was interrupted by a soft knock on the door. Turning toward it he was just in time to see Maggie Bolton step through with a smile on her face.

"Good morning, Mike," she greeted.

"Maggie," he said slightly surprised.

"I came to check up on you," Maggie explained as she walked up to him, placing her bag on the table. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Maggie," he replied, waving her worries away. "Seriously," he added, seeing the dubious look she was giving him.

"The last time I checked you hadn't a medical degree," the nurse said with a smirk, indicating for him to take a seat in the nearby armchair.

Distractedly Mike gingerly sat down. "Maggie?" he began. "If I wanted to know…or rather see the records of a deceased, to whom do I turn?"

The district nurse eyed him suspiciously and went to examine the lump on his head. "When did this death take place?" she asked.

"Around five years ago. The man was an intern and most likely died in prison while being treated for an overdose," Mike let on.

She nodded thoughtfully. "Police Medical File Archive, you should be able to trace it through the system," she explained as she moved over to have a look at his leg. "Call directly to headquarters down in Leeds."

"Thanks," the former London constable said relieved.

Maggie pursed her lips in annoyance as she finished examining him. "You should do nothing more than rest in bed today Mike. Your body needs time to recuperate."

"It's really important Maggie and I need to report to DI Shiner during the day," he countered.

"That's not a good idea," the district nurse replied in disagreement. "I promise you that given a few hours into the day you'll feel every cut and bruise on your body, especially your heavily bruised hip and, although you didn't receive a concussion, your head will be sore for a few days at least."

"It might be unwise to try and get over to the station by myself then…but that wouldn't stop me from taking a ride with you does it?" he asked cunningly.

"I would be neglecting my duties, letting an injured patient roam free," she teased.

"Come on Maggie," Mike said cheerfully albeit the pain shone right through as he got out of the armchair. "I might be able to nail the man causing our accident and, if I'm right, someone very close to him. If not for me, do it for Nick."

Maggie inhaled deeply, a sombre look crossing her face. "You better hurry then," she said. "The ride leaves in five and I don't think you'll impress the DI arriving in your skivvies," she said with a hint of amusement, causing a slight blush on the constables pale cheeks.

"Maybe not in my civvies either," he returned. "But I'll make a try."

OOOOOO

Claude Greengrass stepped out from the Aidensfield garage looking nothing but smug. He began to whistle slightly and clasped his hands together just as Lord Ashfordly came driving up to the facility.

"Good morning, my Lordship, you're up early today," Greengrass chirped.

Ashfordly nodded, his own mood much more sombre than the cunning old crook's.

"Look, I have a proposition for you," Claude began. "Maybe you're aware of my new blooming business?"

"A new flower concept?" Ashfordly asked dryly. "The last one didn't last more than a few days," he added, thinking back to the time when Greengrass had opened up a plant farm briefly and supplied the villagers with half-dead plants.

"Very funny, my lordship," he replied sheepishly, blushing slightly. "No, actually I'm producing goat cheese and milk of the finest quality. I thought you might be interested in buying some for the upcoming events up at the Hall."

The wealthy man snorted. "I really must decline your offer. I've asked Mrs. Ward to oversee the beer tent and to supply the competitors and spectators with other beverages that they might want. When it comes to the cheese; let's just say I want no surprises, no waiting on failed deliveries or anything else for that matter," he finished.

Claude blinked. "Well, I guess I'll just fix the tents then," he said.

"You do that, Greengrass," Ashfordly said with a curt nod.

OOOOOO

DI Shiner turned around as the outer door opened, revealing PC Bradley, dressed in his uniform looking ready for a new day at work.

"Constable Bradley," the DI acknowledged. "You're looking much better since the last time I saw you. However, the fact remains; should you be here today?"

"I've been cleared by the district nurse, sir," Mike replied as he walked up to stand opposite the CID officer. "May I have a word with you in the office?"

The DI nodded with a serious look on his face and motioned for Bradley to walk ahead of him before turning to follow.

Mike waited until the door was closed behind them and the DI was on his way over to sit down behind Sgt. Rowan's desk.

"This might seem like a long shot, but has it ever been considered that Ted Jones's brother, Denny Jones never died?" he tried casually.

Shiner looked up at him gravely. "Denny Jones was a criminal, a supplier of drugs. He got caught red handed during a handout and got locked up for life. The charge against him was quite serious considering the dope he'd handed out to the young people in the community killed at least two, injured a few others and caused a lot of trouble for the police," he said.

"I understand, sir that he died of an overdose while being imprisoned?" Mike asked curiously.

"You're correct Constable Bradley. The prison-employed coroner confirmed his death and took care of the body. It was never an issue of resuscitation, he was gone, there was nothing else to do than to send him directly to the morgue," Shiner explained.

"There was no autopsy?" Mike asked with a frown.

"No, he died in prison, in his cell, and the cause of death was pretty obvious. His body was released to the next of kin and taken to a burial site within the next week," the DI added stoically as he leaned forward in the chair to fix the constable with a stare. "So you see, his demise is not overstated."

"Still, sir, I feel we should check it out," Mike tried.

"The case is closed, Bradley," Shiner replied succinctly in a voice that left little room for argument.

"Yes, sir," he returned, barely able to contain his frustration with the case. "Anything new about Charlie Chadwick?"

"CID officers are on to it as we speak," the DI assured him.

There was an awkward silence before the senior CID officer spoke up again. "Thanks Constable Bradley. One more thing; unless you could provide me with a clean bill of health I suggest you hang up your uniform and rest. There are several CID officers in the area and I'm sure your colleagues can man the place for the time being," he reasoned.

"But I just said, sir," Mike protested but was interrupted.

"I heard you, Bradley, but you don't look very well. It was nasty accident you were involved in," he said closing the matter.

Mike nodded dully and turned around to exit the office.

Shiner stared at the closed door. He had known for quite some time that something wasn't right when it came to Charlie Chadwick but he had yet to look into the death of Denny Jones. 'Was it possible that PC Bradley was right?' he mused. Since the man had died in prison he had never suspected there would be something dodgy about it but maybe it was time to reconsider.

He reached for the phone and ordered the launching of a full CID investigation directed at the prison and the pathologist on duty at the time. He called for the documents concerning the death and everything else he could think of.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_13/28_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen – Of Fakes and Frauds **

"Katie, love," Jo said softly and sighed with relief as she walked over to where her husband's little daughter sat on the floor, next to the sofa, in the living room. "Katie, I thought you'd still be asleep. You had me worried not finding you at first."

The young child looked up at her with large sad eyes, her doll sitting on her lap. "I couldn't sleep. I miss daddy," she said and the sincerity in her voice left Jo heartbroken as she sat down next to her.

"Honey," Jo whispered, her voice cracking. "I miss him too."

"Why is he asleep for so long?" she asked and, to Jo, it sounded almost as an accusation.

"I don't know, Katie. He's really tired. It might…"she trailed off hitching on a breath, "…take some time."

Jo's hand trembled slightly as she straightened and gave Katie's shoulder a gentle squeeze. She jumped as there was a soft knock on the door and gave the young child a reassuring smile before slowly getting up to answer.

"Gina," Jo said surprised but genuinely happy as she found the barmaid standing outside. "Couldn't sleep?" she teased as she cast a glance at the watch.

Gina tried to look offended but couldn't really hold back her smile. "I don't always sleep to twelve o'clock you know. The guests wants their breakfast served on time," she said.

"I thought Mrs. Hendry helped you out?" Jo asked curiously.

"I thought so too," Gina let on gloomily. "Actually, she left for Leeds yesterday, said she was going to attend a funeral. Who was I to stop her?"

Jo nodded. "You need to find someone more permanently now that George has left," she said kindly.

The barmaid smirked. "Enough about me now, how are you holding up?" she asked as she took a step inside and hung up her cap and purse on the hook just inside the entrance door. "Can I get you anything?"

"I'm fine," Jo reassured her wearily, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Doesn't look like it. You could do with some cheering up," Gina returned as she headed over to the stove to put the kettle on.

"Gina, thanks for bringing Katie home last night. I really appreciate it, I know you had a lot on your plate," Jo said.

Gina shrugged lightly. "Don't mention it. What are friends for, hey?"

The young teacher nodded absentmindedly as she sat down next to the kitchen table and sighed. She placed her elbows on the table and let her head come to rest in her hands for a while before rubbing her forehead. "I woke up around midnight and turned around in bed, expecting to find him next to me, thinking this was all a horrible dream," she admitted, her voice no more than a whisper.

Gina moved over to the refrigerator and rummaged through it before giving her friend a sympathetic look. "Have you had anything to eat?" she asked kindly.

"I'm not hungry, Gina," Jo replied in a subdued voice.

"Maybe Katie wants something?" Gina suggested cheerfully as she closed the door and walked out in the living room to ask.

Jo closed her eyes briefly and smiled faintly as she heard her stepdaughter say she wanted a sandwich.

"So, what did they say?" Gina asked seriously as she walked back into the kitchen.

Jo swallowed and then hesitated, not sure she trusted herself to speak. As if she repeated the words of Dr. Bolton they would appear much more realistic.

"He looked me in the eye and said that…Doctor Bolton said, that Nick might never wake up again," she forced the last words out and looked at Gina.

The barmaid quickly closed the distance between them and sat down next to her. Seeing a tear trickling down Jo's cheek she embraced her in a comforting hug. "I'm sure it won't come to that," Gina said softly. "Nick is strong, if anyone can pull through he can."

"Why? First my mother was taken from me and now this," Jo whispered into Gina's shoulder.

"Hey," the barmaid hushed. "Cheer up now, they said he _might_ not wake up again right? Why wouldn't he?" she reasoned. "He has a wonderful family, a good job and a lot of friends around here. Besides, the Nick Rowan I know is not a quitter."

"Thanks, Gina," Jo snivelled as she straightened in the chair.

"Like I said, what are friends for? Let's give Katie her sandwich and take a walk," she said.

OOOOOO

Alf looked up from his newspaper as Mike came walking down the corridor to the sergeant's office with a sullen look on his face.

"I take it he didn't share your thoughts?" the old copper asked.

Mike took a deep breath and then shook his head. "Something like that," he let on.

"Look, I'll have a talk with Oscar and see what we can find out," Alf volunteered. "Local knowledge might add something useful to the investigation CID is running."

"Thanks Alf, I would appreciate it," Mike said, brightening.

"I better pop over to the post office straight away," Alf let on with a smirk as he slowly got out of his chair.

OOOOOO

Claude Greengrass had the look of a child in a candy store who'd just been told he could chose whatever he wanted for free as he wiggled over the courtyard with a large package in his arms.

David Stockwell rushed out of the barn with a frown and almost stumbled over his untied shoelace as he moved to keep even steps with his mate. "Mr. Greengrass, you forgot to pack one," he said dumbfounded, the expression of a fool on his face as he held a rather large goat cheese in his hand.

"I saved it for us, David," Claude responded in annoyance. "Now, help me with the packages, I need to deliver them so I can cash in," he added with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Are you going to the grocery shop back in Aidensfield?" David asked.

"With one of them, then I'm to meet with the old chap back at Winston's place. I've managed to persuade him to squeeze in some packages in his delivery truck to Whitby later in the afternoon," Claude explained with a triumphant smile as he snatched the cheese from David's hand, securing the last of the load on the truck and jumped in. "I've finally made it, David," he said happily.

OOOOOO

"So, Mike thinks something is going on up there?" Oscar asked curiously.

"He's not the only one," Alf let on. "The fact that he saw the crates stacked in the henhouse back there the night before our raid of the factory garage convinced me."

The former police sergeant raised a questionable eyebrow. "Hillsdale Farm?" he said cunningly. "The old fox who ran the place died in a house fire. His sister didn't get a penny out of insurance because evidence showed it wasn't an accident but a deliberate act to get money."

"I don't believe that," Alf replied in disagreement. "No man set the house on fire and then walks in and go to sleep."

"I'm not saying he did it," Blaketon countered. "No one was ever brought to justice for the act."

"If I recall correctly evidence pointed in the direction of his sister," Alf mused. "Lived quite a life down in Leeds with almost no money left."

"Unfortunately she had an alibi and by the way, wouldn't she have sold the place by now if she wanted to get something out of it?" Oscar wondered aloud. "Where is she now anyway?"

"At the old folks home in Strensford," Alf said. "Rumor has it that she was admitted last month. Apparently she's turning senile."

"A senile woman don't go there by herself," Oscar pointed out.

"No, she was brought in by a young woman with a striking resemblance," the old copper filled in. "A grandchild perhaps?"

"Intriguing, I wonder how everything is connected." Oscar mused. "Looks like we have a mystery on our hands, Sherlock."

OOOOOO

_He felt a chilly hand on his forehead and stirred slightly, looking into the eyes of his wife. _

_Kate smiled softly at him from where she sat on his bedside. He noted that she was fully dressed and appeared to be heading off somewhere. He saw the sun climbing outside the window behind her and reached for the watch on the nightstand. _

"_I got up early," she explained, the smile still creasing her lips. "You feel a bit hot, are you all right, love?" _

_He nodded faintly and licked his dry lips. "I'm just a bit tired that's all," he admitted. _

"_You seemed fine yesterday evening when I'd finally managed the baby clinic," Kate said mischievously. "Maybe you should stay in bed today, take it easy," she suggested. "After all, you've been quite sick." _

"_It's just some flu," Nick reasoned, mildly annoyed at not having gotten rid of it. _

_Kate leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek and then reached out yet again to touch his forehead, her eyes displaying concern. "I won't be long," she assured him as she turned to go downstairs. _

_Nick followed her with his eyes until she disappeared out of sight. He let out a groan and cleared his throat. He felt drained as he slowly got up into a sitting position and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. His head was hurting in a way that he couldn't remember as he placed his elbows on his knees and let his head come to rest in his hands. 'Wasn't it bad enough that Blaketon was breathing down his neck due to Kate's temporary practice in the police house', he thought glumly. _

_With some effort he finally got out of bed and walked over to the drawer and put on some plain civilian clothes. He began walking down the stair to get some breakfast while Kate was away on her house calls. Rumors had it an Inspector from Whitby was on his way to Ashfordly next week and he couldn't help but to wonder what that was all about. Blaketon appeared to be more tense than usual. _

OOOOOO

Jo sat vigil next to her husband's hospital bed. The only thing that had changed was the daylight outside the window. She'd left his side a few times to get some sleep, some food and at one occasion, to get some information. Maggie had been to check on her several times, they'd cried together, laughed together but in the end Jo was alone. She stared at her husband's pale face, the unnatural stillness. She suddenly missed Kate's aunt, Eileen terribly; her warm persona and her invaluable help with Katie.

OOOOOO

_Nick walked through the door of the police house with a mildly annoyed look on his face. Kate looked up from where she was standing next to the counter, finishing up some home cooked meal. She frowned at him as he hung his helmet on the hook with a deep sigh and shrugged out of his coat. _

_He cast a glance at her. "I'm telling you Kate, that Inspector Crossley is trouble," Nick said unhappily. _

_Kate couldn't help but smile at his mildly put out look and walked up to him, to sneak her arms around his middle, as he began to unstrap the buckle of his uniform jacket. "He was such a charming man when he came here yesterday," she let on mischievously. _

_Nick made a face. "Of course he was, you blonde, good looking woman with a medical degree," he replied with a smirk and put his arms around her middle. _

"_If you're trying to charm me, it's working", Kate spoke up softly, returning the smirk. "Feel free to add something more." _

"_You have to find another place for your practice," he said._

_She sighed as she looked up at him. "It's not that easy Nick. I mean it's not like I haven't been trying," Kate protested. _

"_I know, love, we'll have to think of something," he replied and broke eye contact to look out through the window behind his wife. "What about that small, old veterinarian place near the bus stop and post?" he suggested. _

_Kate let go of him and turned to get back to the counter and fetch the tea. "Like you said; it's small," she said. _

"_Too small?" Nick asked innocently. "Why don't we have a look?" he suggested. _

"_Sounds to me like you've planned something behind my back," Kate returned, narrowing her eyes to study him suspiciously. _

OOOOOO

There was knock on the doorframe and Jo looked up to see as Maggie quietly walked through. The nurse put on a bright smile, obviously fighting to be strong for both of them.

"Jo," Maggie said softly as she walked over to stand behind her, putting her hands on her shoulders. "Come on now, you need to go home and get some rest."

"Why?" she whispered, her eyes staring intently at Nick but her words were directed at Maggie. "Why hasn't he awakened?"

Maggie squeezed her shoulders gently but said nothing. There was nothing she could possibly say to that, she had no answers, it was entirely up to Nick.

"Let's go, Jo," she said sadly. "I'll take you back home."

"The last thing I said to him was; You could at least spend as much time at home with me as you do back at your office," she began and turned to look at Maggie. "Now I wish he was behind his desk, at least then I would know he was all right."

Maggie gently pushed her forward and she slowly rose from the visiting chair, letting go of Nick's hand. "Maggie, I didn't tell him I love him. I never got the chance to…" she trailed off and reached up with her hand to wipe away a tear from her cheek.

"He knows," Maggie said soothingly. The nurse looked at the police officer for a moment and swallowed, feeling the tears stinging in her eyes too. "He knows, Jo. I'm certain he does. Come on now let's get you home. Then you'll be rested tomorrow, besides Katie is no doubt wondering where you got too," she reasoned.

"Katie," Jo mumbled. "She's already lost her mother."

"You better stop that negative train of thought, Jo," Maggie cautioned. "She needs you, maybe more than she needs anyone else at the moment. You're her rock when Nick is…away."

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_14/28_


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen – Clues To A Mystery **

It was turning late as Oscar Blaketon put down the phone back in the post office. He had a cunning look on his face as he moved over to relieve Gladys at the counter. "Why don't you go home half an hour earlier today Gladys?" he suggested kindly.

The woman, in her mid-fifties, gave him a bright smile. "Are you sure, Mr. Blaketon?" she asked.

He nodded. "I can manage, you go and come in early tomorrow morning," he said.

"Thank you, that makes things so much easier, I'll pick up my grandson at the nanny and head home," she said happily.

"You do that," Oscar returned, willing for the gossiping woman to leave. If he was right Alf and Mike would arrive at the doorstep any minute now.

Just as Gladys left the door opened and the two police constables walked in.

"I don't know which one of you is the oldest?" Oscar let on with a slight tease in his sharp voice as Mike grimaced. "How are you Mike?"

"A bit sore," he admitted as the former sergeant gesticulated for them to follow him into the back of the post, to his small office.

"Anything interesting?" Alf asked curiously, taking a seat.

Oscar sat down opposite him and handed over a file sitting on the desk. "Mary McMara," he said triumphantly. "That's the young woman's name."

Alf and Mike looked at each other and then at Oscar expectantly. "She's the grandchild of Joshua Robinson, the man who once owned Hillsdale Farm," he explained. "A bit of a trouble maker from what I've heard, when she was younger. Her parents died when she was five and she was brought up down in Leeds by her auntie."

Alf nodded. "She got her auntie in at the old folks home," he stated. "She took care of the car registered to her auntie."

"It was a MG-TF," Alf added shifting focus from Oscar to Mike. "Quite rare and expensive."

"The question is; what was she doing up there that night when Greengrass spotted the car?" Mike asked.

"Greengrass?" Oscar asked sarcastically. "What was he doing up there? Poaching on the lordship's land?"

Alf ignored the remark as he leaned forward in the chair. "Unfortunately that doesn't get us very far," he said gloomily.

OOOOOO

DI Shiner jumped slightly at the shrill of the telephone as he was sitting behind Nick's desk, engrossed in a file. Annoyed at the interruption he reached for the mouthpiece.

"DI Shiner," he said in a crisp voice.

"_DC Nott, sir,"_ the man in the other end introduced himself_. "We have turned the place upside down. There are no records about a deceased intern called Denny Jones present, sir." _

Shiner pursed his lips into a thin line of displeasure, hearing the bad news. "That is impossible," he replied seriously.

"_It should be. The pathologist working at the time left the service over a year back. We are trying to track him down to see if he can confirm…" _

"This is serious," Shiner interrupted sternly. "Before you talk to him, if you manage to track him down, you'll run a complete check on any relations to the Jones's family."

"_Are there suspicions of foul play, sir?"_ the DC asked curiously.

The line went silent for a while before the superior CID officer spoke again, this time in a low voice. "Heads will roll at this, DC Nott. If my suspicions are correct," he let on cryptically, ending the call.

OOOOOO

Phil Bellamy grimaced at the sound of his colleague's ringing phone and turned to look further down in the corridor, at the door to the gents. Just as he was about to answer Alf came around, snatching the phone in front of him.

"Where have you been?" Phil mouthed suspiciously.

"Ashfordly Police Station," Ventress said, ignoring the question.

Phil sourly looked at his older colleague as Alf sat down heavily on his chair opposite him. Then curiosity won over annoyance as Alf hastily began to take notes, scribbling on the backside of a folder.

"What is it?" Phil asked as Alf put down the phone.

"That was the stock broker calling about Hillsdale Farm. Apparently…," Alf trailed off in his explanation as Mike came walking from the corridor, rubbing his aching forehead. "Mike, you should hear this," he said with a wan smile.

Phil turned around to see Mike appearing behind him, out of uniform, since he was not yet on active duty.

Bradley frowned wearily as he slipped in behind his desk.

"Hillsdale Farm shifted owner last month from the old sister to the young granddaughter, Mary McMara," Alf said triumphantly.

"Mary McMara?" Phil echoed in disbelief. "When I went through the files from CID about the toy business down in Pickering, her name came up as a part owner."

Mike straightened in his chair, his interest peaking. "So, there's a connection between the owner of Hillsdale Farm, the toy company and the crates?" he said. "Not to mention the antiques gang," he added with a ghost of a smile.

OOOOOO

_Nick looked up from where he was sitting comfortably in the armchair, next to a sparkling fire, as Kate walked through the door. _

"_I'm sorry, love, it took much longer than I anticipated," she apologized as she placed her medical bag on the floor and draped her wool coat over it. "That last house call…" she trailed off and rubbed her forehead as she walked over to him and sat down at the edge of the chair to lean in on him. _

_Nick couldn't help but to smile amusedly as she let her head come to rest on his shoulder. He gently draped an arm around her, to squeeze her shoulder. "It's okay, I've just barely managed to get off shift myself," he admitted. "I'm just trying to appear casual, like I've been sitting here for hours." _

_Kate raised herself up and gave her husband an incredulous glare before reaching for a pillow and gave Nick a good whack on the head. She continued to have a go at him, the pillow landing on his face with a soft thud, until his steady arms reached out for hers and twisted the pillow out of her grip. They stared at each other for a moment before they leaned into one another, ending the fight with a kiss. _

"_So, how did it go?" Nick finally asked as Kate straightened where she sat on the arm of the armchair. _

"_Did the estate agent contact you?" he asked curiously. _

_She nodded cunningly. _

"_Well, don't keep me waiting," Nick encouraged, smitten by her smile. _

"_It's ours, if we want it," she let on happily. "If we can afford it." _

"_Do you want it?" he asked softly. "Or do you want to move to York?" he added, hoping she'd not take the offer made by her friend Sally back at Ashfordly General Hospital, to become a partner in a larger clinic. _

_Kate sighed, the smile vanished from her face and she appeared thoughtful for a moment. "I would be lying to you if I said I hadn't considered it," she admitted sincerely. _

_Nick nodded and fixed his eyes on the sparkling fire, looking sombre, sad almost. _

"_Hey," Kate began and reached out with her hand to lift up his chin, forcing him to focus on her once again. "I have considered it and kindly but firmly declined the offer. I've become too attached to this place; thanks to you," she finished with a light tease. _

_The corner of Nick's lips turned slightly upward with a quirk. "I sense a but coming," he said. _

"_How do we pay for the house?" she asked gloomily. _

"_We'll think of something, Kate, don't worry," he assured her. _

OOOOOO

Doctor Neil Bolton kindly showed Jo Rowan into an office at the Ashfordly General Hospital. He saw the puffed cheeks and the rimmed eyes, unable not to feel sympathy for her. He could only imagine what he would have felt if it had been Maggie in that bed those years ago when they were still functioning as husband and wife.

"Mrs. Rowan," he began seriously, for there was no other way to say what he was going to say, "I'm afraid I haven't got any good news."

Jo looked up at him from where she had taken a seat, opposite his desk. She swallowed but didn't say anything, just waited for him to continue.

"I would have hoped that we could have had some life signs by now. For every day that passes the chance of him ever to wake up again is becoming smaller. I'm sorry to have to say this to you but that is the truth," he said apologetically.

She nodded, fighting hard to keep her emotions under control. "I appreciate the honesty, Doctor Bolton," she managed.

"Please, do not give up hope just yet," Neil felt the need to say.

"I haven't," Jo said quickly. "I…just want him back with me. It's so frustrating to see him and talk to him…touch him and not get any kind of response," she explained as she looked around the room, not quite able to face him. "He's right there in front of me, yet so far away."

Neil remained quiet, not sure what to say. There was nothing he _could_ say to make it better, nothing truthful anyway. "Go home, Mrs. Rowan, and get some rest," he finally said.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_15/28_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen – Coping On My Own **

Maggie raised her hand to knock for a second time when a car turned up at the driveway. She turned around to see Mike Bradley step out of the panda car and placed her hands on her hips, steaming with annoyance.

"Hi, Maggie," Mike said wearily as he walked up to her and waved at Phil as he drove away.

"I thought we agreed that you should take it easy and rest," Maggie said by way of greeting.

"I'm trying to find some clues to this mess, Maggie," the young police officer reasoned as he inserted the key in the lock and twisted the doorknob to the cottage.

"Maybe you could coordinate such efforts by using the phone?" Maggie challenged unhappily. "Mike, look," she reasoned, her tone of voice calmer. "You're a very lucky guy but you're not a hundred percent. Your body needs time to recuperate and it can't do that while you're running around chasing bad people."

"It's not so bad," he said with a shrug.

The district nurse huffed as she placed her bag on the table in his living room. "And how many tablets have you taken just to get through the day?" she asked sternly.

Mike sighed as he sat down in the comfy armchair and rubbed his temples, the headache that he had managed to get rid of the day before slowly creeping over him once again.

Maggie softened and knelt in front of him to carefully reach up and feel the bruise still present on his forehead. Her small hand gently palpated the tender area, resulting in a grimace from her patient and friend.

"The bruising is slowly fading and I can't feel any lump," she said and smiled softly at him. "At least not in the size of an egg."

Mike returned her smile.

"How's the hip?" She asked, slightly concerned as she'd seen a more pronounced limp outside.

"Too sore for my liking," he admitted.

"That's from not resting properly, from not staying off of it," Maggie returned seriously before breaking into a grin. "Serves you right though," she added.

"Thanks' for the sympathy," he replied dryly.

Maggie's upper lip twisted into a smirk. "You're welcome," she said.

The young police officer suddenly sobered and looked at her seriously. "I've been meaning to ask you; how's it looking for the Sarge?" Mike said.

Maggie sighed. "Not to good I'm afraid. He just won't wake up," she let on sombrely.

OOOOOO

DI Shiner walked in to the duty room and cast a quick glance at his wristwatch, he was early, the shift wouldn't start for another fifteen minutes. He took a deep breath and sat down behind Alf's desk, reaching for the telephone and dialled a number for the division in Whitby to make sure everything was set.

Ten minutes later the DI put down the phone and made his way over to the kitchenette to make himself a strong cup of tea. He glanced through the blindfolds of the window and saw the sunlight finding its way into the room. 'If anything else hits the fan, at least the weather is good,' he thought gloomily.

The door to the station suddenly opened, revealing PC's Ventress, Bellamy and Bradley in a tight trope, stepping into the duty room. All three of them stopped talking as they spotted the DI standing around the corner with a grim look on his face.

"You called, sir, and by the look on your face I'd say something serious have happened," Mike said.

Shiner nodded and glanced down the bottom of his cup before facing the constables, Bradley in particular.

"You were right, Constable Bradley," he let on, eliciting deep frowns from the three of them.

"I don't follow, sir?" Mike began curiously.

"Five years ago a certain Denny Jones supposedly died in prison after taking an overdose of cocaine. While in reality he was smuggled out by the on-call pathologist and a night guard. Five years ago a man called Charlie Chadwick walked out on the streets of London. An identity taken over from a man who crashed his little aircraft at sea outside Dover," the DI explained.

Mike walked over to his desk and sat down, clearly deep in thought. "How and why?" he asked.

"The on-call pathologist was a much respected member of the force but it later turned out he was also the boyfriend of Sarah Jones, Denny Jones' baby sister. Whether he did it for love or money I can't really say," Shiner let on.

"And the guard?" Phil asked, crossing his arms over his chest, still standing just inside the duty room.

"A man with gambling debts who greedily accepted a large bribe for his silence," the CID officer replied. "As for the why; I guess he wanted to be able to pay his debts and live a bit longer."

"So, what happens now?" Alf spoke up.

Shiner took a deep breath. "There have been suspicions before, Bradley," he said not really paying much attention to Alf's question. "However, until now there hasn't been anything that could circumstantiate a more thorough investigation of Denny Jones' death."

"Until now," Mike echoed in a subdued voice. "Anything more, sir that you want to enlighten us with?"

"At the moment I don't know much more than you do. CID has had the antiques gang and Charlie Chadwick under surveillance for a while, as you all know. Until yesterday we had nothing valid to go on when it came to the firm distributing toys from the east," Shiner explained.

"Phil and Mike shared a knowing, meaningful look.

"Reports from the regular police in Whitby came in late last night. Charlie Chadwick has been spotted near the docks. We have reasons to believe that the boat shipping their supplies is coming in tonight," Shiner finished explaining.

"A switch," Mike guessed quizzically.

The CID officer nodded sternly, his lips pursed into a thin line of dismay. "The antiques are being shipped away in the crates you saw at the lorry garage down at the derelict factory. The ship carries a large number of crates, supposedly stuffed with toys, for the company down in Pickering. However, we have strong reasons to believe that the dolls and other toys contains dope," he said.

"A neat little operation," Alf concluded.

"Indeed, PC Ventress," Shiner returned bitterly. "If we can manage to confiscate several crates of toys tonight and apprehend Mr. Chadwick we might have enough solid evidence to bring both him and his company down together with the antiques gang."

"There is someone else involved in these shady schemes," Mike said.

Shiner curiously raised an eyebrow. "Care to enlighten me PC Bradley?" he asked.

"Mary McMara," he let on confidently.

"She is the granddaughter of the man killed in a house fire back at Hillsdale Farm and now the owner of the same place," Alf filled in.

The DI folded his arms across his chest.

"It's where I found the crates, suspiciously alike those moved from the lorry garage, before the accident," Mike added.

"Good call, Bradley," he commended. "It seems we've all kept each other somewhat in the dark."

"Now, if you're feeling up to it PC Bradley I want you with me tonight at the docks of Whitby and PC Bellamy you're assigned as a look out at the farm. If Miss McMara is involved in all this I have a feeling something will happen there too," Shiner reasoned.

"I'm going to be there," Mike assured him. He was dressed in plain clothing as he was not yet really cleared for duty.

"Good, don't change into uniform," the DI replied.

OOOOOO

_Nick turned around irritably, in a restless sleep, as the sound of the alarm pierced through the haze of his mind. He twisted in bed to shut the thing off and stopped mid-way in the action as he turned around and found Kate's side of the bed empty. _

_Bleary-eyed he silenced the clock and then lay back to rub his tired face. 'Right,' he thought sarcastically, 'Kate had early practice hours in Whitby today.' _

_She had been working with her new partner for a month and she was spending more and more time in Whitby; away from him. At first he didn't mind because she'd been so enthusiastic about her new partnership and the possibilities that came with it but the more evenings he spent alone the more he came to dislike it. Some of her patients back at the Aidensfield practice had started to wonder where their doctor had gone. She was no longer available to them every day. _

_Nick sighed as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and got up. He quickly shrugged out of his sleep wear and searched the top drawer for some clean underwear and then headed on to the closet, to fetch his uniform, before he padded into the bathroom. _

"Nick," a soft voice called.

_Confused he turned around where he stood, opposite bathroom mirror. To his surprise there was no one there. "Kate?" he wondered aloud. _

OOOOOO

"Nick," Jo tried again as she gently reached over to take his hand into her own. She let out a shaky breath as she sat down next to him, like she had done so many times before this week, and swallowed.

"I went back to work today, in case you were wondering where I have been," she explained.

Jo chuckled nervously, sadly as she studied her pale husband. His hand felt cold today, colder than she remembered it to be. "I miss our conversations," she began hesitantly. "I don't know how long I can keep up with this monologue."

She averted her eyes from him and fixed them on a spot on the old worn hospital floor and then reached up with her hand to rub her aching forehead. Her head then suddenly shot up as she thought she heard something. Jo looked at Nick and felt hope surge through her body as she tightened her grip around his hand.

For a minute or two she just stared at her husband, mesmerized, waiting for him to shift or blink, or give her some kind of sign, to tell her he was on the mend but when four whole minutes had passed her shoulders slumped and she fought to hold back the tears. "Nick, please," she whispered, "Please come back to me."

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_16/28_


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen – Troublesome Illusion **

"_Isn't it enough that you spend your entire days in Whitby?" Nick questioned, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice. _

"_I thought we'd talked about that. It's not forever Nick, and it's not every day," Kate reasoned. "It's just that after a late clinic and then one early the next day I…" she trailed off, frustrated. _

_Nick looked at her but said nothing, instead he chose to get out of the sofa and see to the fire. _

_Kate scratched her head absentmindedly. "What's the use of evenings like this? I'm tired, you're tired…" she sighed and let the sentence hang in the air._

_Nick turned his head to look at her. As he did so a faint smile appeared on his lips. "You're cranky," he replied._

_His soft teasing voice getting the better of her she started to chuckle softly. "Come here," she said and reached out with her arms. _

_Nick plonked down beside her and she rested her head against his chest. "I won't love you less just because I stay over in Whitby," she added. _

"_I know, Kate, it's just that I enjoy coming home and have someone to spend the night with," he let on. _

"_I'll call you on the phone every evening I'm staying the night at James' place, I promise," Kate assured him. _

OOOOOO

Claude Greengrass awoke with a start, where he was sitting comfortably in his armchair, as there was a knock on the front door. He blinked a couple of times in annoyance and then slowly got up to let whomever in. The old crook, and now goat farmer, managed to conceal his surprise to a lesser extent at finding Sr. Maggie Bolton at his doorstep.

"What brings you here?" he asked.

"I'm the bearer of bad news I'm afraid, Claude," Maggie said politely.

"Bad news?" Claude echoed, uncomprehending. "What are you talking about?"

"The cheese you've been producing…," she began with a grimace as she saw Alfred get up from the floor and quickly grab the last piece of Claude's sandwich on the table.

Greengrass turned around at the look on the nurse's face and pursed his lips in disappointment. "Alfred, you mangrove," he chastised. "Don't you have any shame in your body?" he asked unhappily before turning back to the nurse. "Why don't you come in?"

"No thanks, I won't be long," Maggie assured him. "I was just going to tell you that we have reason to believe a woman has been poisoned by your…product and there will be an investigation. You'll have to stop your deliveries for the time being," she explained.

"Wait a minute," Claude protested.

"No, I'm sorry Claude but you have no choice in the matter. Until an investigation has been completed and your cheese have been eliminated as a possible source for food poisoning you can't really do anything," Maggie informed him.

OOOOOO

PC Mike Bradley stared into the seemingly never-ending sea through a pair of binoculars. The docks was busting with activity, although it could hardly be seen. Several CID officers and uniformed officers from the division in Whitby were spread across the magazines and storage compartments in the harbor. DI Shiner was standing close to Mike with a walkie-talkie in hand as he saw the young constable tense ever so slightly.

"I have a sighting, sir," he reported in a neutral voice. "She's coming in dark, all the lights are out but she's definitely on her way in," he added.

Shiner strained his ears and heard the silent hum of a diesel engine closing in on their position. "Sounds like you're right Bradley," he agreed and gesticulated to the nearest men to take their positions.

"Any sightings of Charlie Chadwick?" Mike asked curiously, his eyes still glued to the dark ship.

"Not yet," Shiner replied and the disappointment in his voice could easily be picked up.

The walkie-talkie suddenly sprung to life. "Sir, there's a car coming down the docks, the driver hasn't spotted us yet," a voice reported from the other end. "We can confirm the person sitting in the back fits the description of our man."

Shiner turned to Mike with an unmistakable smug look and then broke into a cautions grin.

OOOOOO

PC Phil Bellamy shivered slightly in the damp air of the late night where he stood hunched behind a tree, not far from the gates to Hillsdale Farm. Nothing had happened for over an hour and he was starting to wonder if anything would happen at all when, suddenly, a piercing scream filled the air and sent shivers down his spine. He instinctively ducked as something large came flying over his head and fumbled with his flashlight, turning it on. He let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding as the ray of light caught a fleeing owl.

"Stupid bird," he muttered and switched off the light again.

Phil placed the flashlight between his legs and started to rub his hands, trying to get some circulation back into his cold fingers.

The silence was deafening around him and he felt bold enough to walk closer to the farm and into the courtyard. For a brief moment he considered calling in with the station but he figured Alf hadn't much to say so he decided against it for the time being.

The moonlight caused an eerie glow to set over the old buildings and the main house stood out in stark contrast to the rest as it had been scorched by a fire. The blackened stone walls and collapsed roof made it look like something out of horror movie, a haunted house. He kept away from it and steered toward the henhouse instead as he heard the faint sound of an engine purring.

Phil cautiously moved around the corner of the small henhouse, pressing himself against the wall and turned to look in the direction of the barn. The sound definitely came from there. The doors to the old garage part opened and two headlights appeared. He crunched down, afraid of being spotted.

Heels clicked over the paving, next to the car, for a moment before he heard the doors slam shut. Phil decided to throw caution to the wind and peek. A fairly young woman jumped into the red car, ready to drive away. Phil cursed his own stupidity, he would never be able to prevent her from leaving just by waving his hands in front of the car and he couldn't get to the Panda car fast enough to track her. But then again, he had the moment of surprise on his side.

The red headed police officer rushed from his hiding place, jumped over the smaller stone wall circling the place and hastily closed the gates. He started toward the approaching car who came to an abrupt halt a few meters in front of him. The strong headlights blinded him but he kept his position and used his hand as an extension of his helmet in order to shade his eyes.

"Mary McMara! You are surrounded by the police. I suggest you shut down the engine and come out where I can see you," he shouted.

The engine of the car revved and for a minute Phil was afraid she was going to come at him in full speed. "We know about your involvement in the antiques gang!" he said, trying to sound as convincing and stern as he could muster.

The sound of the engine died and the headlights darkened and Phil blinked, trying to see in the darkness, his eyes still adjusted to the bright light. He switched on the flashlight as he heard clicking heels running away from the car. Unperturbed and with his mind set on nailing the woman he took off after her. His steps longer and his standard police issued boots better suited for the somewhat rough terrain in the courtyard he quickly managed to catch up with her.

"Miss McMara," he began as his hand locked around her arm. "You are under arrest, please follow me nice and calmly."

OOOOOO

_Nick turned off the lamp in the bathroom and then silently padded into the bedroom, careful not to wake his pregnant wife. The thought of them having a child warmed his heart despite the cold outside this time a year. The last two and a half months had been trying as the more he'd tried to keep their relationship together the more Kate had doubted it and turned away. The thought of having her back with him seemed far-fetched just two weeks ago. But then something happened when she decided to tell him about their unborn child. Their final reunion came that day when he'd participated in an arrest of a few army officers. _

_He would always remember that day, he was lucky, it could have gone so much worse than it did that day; he could have ended up bleeding to death from a knife wound. Instead the knife cut into the soft skin of his palm causing tissue damage but in the end nothing was irreparable. _

_Nick stared at the white and stark bandage wrapped around his right hand and shuddered, it still hurt as only a week had passed. Kate slept peacefully as he carefully sat down on the bedside and then eased down under the bedcovers in the semi-dark room. He remembered clearly when she'd come through the door and looked almost like a child, lost for words. Then she'd laid eyes upon his hand and the doctor in her immediately took over. He'd waved her concern away. She sat down on a kitchen chair as he stood there ironing his shirts and explained to him her true feelings of confusion and that she was afraid and started to sob. He walked over to comfort her, sneaked his arms around her, and told her that he loved her. Then she looked up at him and told him the most wonderful words in the world; I love you too. They had hold onto each other then, clung to each other, like nothing else mattered; locked in a moment together that seemed to go on forever. _

_Nick turned to Kate as she lay with her head toward him, her eyes closed. He reached out and carefully moved a strand of hair from her face. With a smile he lay there looking at her knowing there would be a new tomorrow, no matter what, because he and Kate were together again. _

_OOOOOO_

Oscar Blaketon walked with heavy steps down the sterile corridor of Ashfordly General Hospital and up to a closed ward. He took off his hat as he walked through the doors and headed over to the nurses station.

"I'm here to see Nick Rowan," he said to the young nurse that came to greet him. "My name is Oscar Blaketon."

She nodded gravely. "Only for a couple of minutes, Mr. Blaketon," she cautioned as she walked out behind the counter and indicated for him to follow her further down a corridor, down to a private room.

She stopped at the door and turned to him, her hand resting on the doorknob. "As I said, don't be too long," she cautioned.

He nodded sadly as she held up the door for him. The former sergeant looked down at his successor sadly, taking in the stillness, the sickly pallor of his skin and the beeping of the machines that surrounded him.

"Hello, Nick," he said mutedly, his voice seemed hollow somehow.

Blaketon took a seat next to him and let out a frustrated sigh. "I didn't want to come sooner, Jo needs the time with you," he said kindly. "And little Katie."

The silence was deafening to his ears and he wished that Nick somehow would look at him and tell him that everything would be fine. However, the young sergeant's eyes remained closed and unseeing. A vivid purple bruise traced most of his left cheekbone and disappeared beneath the gauze covering a gash on his forehead.

"Come on now Nick," he suddenly spoke up in a voice that was much more like his usual self. "It can't end like this. Are you going to let Jo go through the same you did with Kate?"

With a sigh he continued his monologue. "I remember when you first arrived here seven years, almost eight years ago," Blaketon said, smiling at the memory. "How life here changed you," he added.

"Getting the hang of it, you turned out to be one of the best officers I ever had the pleasure of working with. I want you to know that. I might have been hard at times and you might have done some pretty stupid things at times but in the end everything turned out well," he finished and studied the pale face in front of him for a while. "I just hope it will turn out for the best this time as well," Oscar added sadly.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_17/28_


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen – Caught Red-Handed **

_Kate looked up as Nick walked through the door, into the kitchen, and shivered slightly as cold air seeped through before he closed the door behind him. She clumsily got out of the sofa, next to the sparkling fire, with a blanket draped over her shoulders. _

"_Hello handsome," she said softly with a smile as they met halfway, in the doorway to the kitchen. _

"_Hello," Nick returned with a smile of his own before hugging his wife gently. _

"_What did Claude have to say?" Kate asked half-amused as she recalled her earlier phone conversation with a furious Sergeant Blaketon where he claimed Greengrass was at fault for the recent road accident. _

_Nick chuckled lightly. "He accused Blaketon for misuse of authority and for falsely accusing a villager of misconduct," he said. _

"_I would have liked to see the look on the sergeant's face," Kate replied with a laugh. _

"_It became even better when old Jeremiah Wood came speeding out in his old Land Rover and explained that he'd had lost several sheep during the night before," Nick let on. _

_Kate made a face. "So it was his sheep that caused the accident?" she asked. _

_Nick nodded mischievously. "Have you heard anything from James about how the driver and passenger fared?" he said. _

"_No, I don't know," Kate said as she shook her head and a look of annoyance spread over her face. "He's keeping me out of the loop," she added. _

"_Maybe he wants you to take it easy for a while," Nick suggested. "Personally I think that's a good idea," he quipped. _

_Kate narrowed her eyes and turned to glare at him, her arms crossed over her chest. "I'm no invalid. The way you two are going on one might think I'm seriously ill," she returned. _

_Nick sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Fine, I know, you're only pregnant," he admitted. "But…" _

"_No buts, Constable Rowan," Kate returned sternly, eyeing him as he went to put the kettle on. _

_The corner of his mouth curled upwards but he said nothing as he knew Kate couldn't see his face while standing next to the table so far behind him. He sobered up as he heard her coming closer, a neutral expression suddenly on his face. _

_Kate walked over to retrieve her medical bag, which stood next to the door to the police section of the house. She put it on the counter and rummaged through it. _

_Nick raised an eyebrow as he cast a glance over his shoulder. He put the kettle on the stove and then turned to face his wife. "Kate, what are you doing?" he asked. _

"_Why don't you sit down at the table, love," she said by way of answer as she retrieved a fresh bandage, a bottle and some gauge from her bag. "You forgot something this morning," she reminded him and nodded at his hand. _

_Nick, who had taken a place at the kitchen table looked down at his bandaged hand. "I didn't want to wake you," he reasoned. _

"_I was already awake, remember?" Kate returned softly. "I went down to answer the phone because you threw the bedcovers over your head. I had the pleasure of speaking with Blaketon." _

"_Sorry about that, but you'd already gone back to sleep when I had finished getting dressed. I didn't want to wake you again," Nick reasoned. "It's just a cut, Kate." _

_Kate frowned and sat down next to him, taking his injured hand into her own as she began to peel away the bandage. "It's a cut that could get infected if not taken proper care of," she scolded. _

"_Now who is it that's being overprotective?" Nick asked, pursing his lips together as the cut became submitted to the cold air. _

_Kate responded by dabbing the exposed flesh with a cold saturation in order to clean it. _

"_Ow!" Nick protested with a grimace. _

"_I'm so sorry," Kate said but she didn't sound a bit apologizing. _

"_You did it on purpose," he exclaimed. _

"_Don't be ridiculous, love," she said innocently as there was a soft knock on the door. _

_Nick straightened in the chair, ready to go and see who it could be. _

"_Come in!" Kate hollered with a firm grip of Nick's wrist. _

_The doorknob twisted around and Dr. James Radcliffe walked through the door. _

"_Hello, James," Kate greeted as her colleague put down his medical bag inside the door and removed his hat and coat. _

"_Hello, Kate, Nick," he said. _

"_How are they?" Kate asked, wondering about the people in the car who crashed into a fence in order to avoid colliding with a dozen of loose sheep. _

_James sighed as he walked up to them and sat down opposite Nick, next to Kate, at the kitchen table. "The driver hit the steering wheel rather hard, he's broken a few ribs and the passenger, his son, is bruised and battered. They'll be admitted for at least a few days back at Ashfordly General," he explained. _

"_Thanks for helping out, James, but you really needn't too," Kate said politely. "I could have gone myself." _

"_Don't be so stubborn, Kate, I was awake and had nothing better to do. Besides, you need a little bit of rest," James reasoned kindly. _

_Nick grimaced as Kate dabbed the cut once again. "Don't argue with her right now, James," he said through clenched teeth. _

"_Don't be such a baby, Nick," Kate said mildly annoyed as she let go of his hand. _

_James looked over at the angry red cut in Nick's palm. It was fairly deep and slightly swollen. "That must have hurt," the doctor said. _

"_Not so much then," Nick replied sullenly. _

"_You're lucky he only cut through your hand," James said sincerely. _

"_I don't want to talk about it," Kate spoke up, the slight edge in her voice from before gone and replaced by concern. _

"_I didn't really fancy you walking around on the roof of the church either," Nick returned, eyeing his wife. _

"_I only walked up a ladder, tended to a patient and then walked down again," Kate returned. "You, on the other hand, could have been sliced in two," she added sternly returning the slightly disapproving look she was receiving from her husband. _

_Nick turned his injured hand back and forth, his lips turning into a thin line of displeasure. He then looked directly at Kate's colleague. "Tea, James?" he asked. _

_James looked at him and then nodded. "I'll grab a cup," he said and rose from the chair, not wanting to be in the way. _

_Kate sighed seeing her colleague out of the corner of her eye as he reached for three cups and returned to the table. She gently applied a fresh bandage on Nick's hand and turned to look him in the eyes as James walked away again to get the kettle. "I'm sorry, love," she apologized. _

OOOOOO

DI Shiner walked through the door to Ashfordly Police Station in a splendid mood despite the early morning hour. The late night raid back in Whitby had been nothing but a success. Charlie Chadwick had been apprehended, several crates of toys had been taken into custody and searched for any type of drugs. LSD and cocaine had been found almost immediately when the dolls had been taken apart. Mary McMara had been brought into custody in Ashfordly and placed in a cell opposite the two members of the antiques gang previously apprehended.

The three police officers manning the station looked up from their respective desks as the senior CID officer walked into the duty room.

"PC Bradley, why am I not surprised to see you here?" the DI asked curiously as he watched the plain clothed officer.

Mike merely nodded.

"I came to congratulate you all on a well performed act of policing," he praised as two lower ranking CID officers walked through the door, heading toward the custody section.

"Charlie Chadwick and his cohorts will be leaving you now. They are my sole responsibility. We'll travel in convoy to London where the charges will be brought," he informed.

"What about Miss McMara?" Bellamy asked carefully.

"Based on what you've managed to get out of her during the interrogation she might turn out useful during the hearing sessions. However, I'll leave her here for the moment and let you sort out everything," Shiner said.

"Yes, sir," Mike said.

Alf leaned forward in his chair, turning slightly to face the DI. "Any news about Ted Jones's whereabouts?" he asked.

"Still on the run I'm afraid," Shiner returned. "Anyway I'll leave you to it for the time being. I have my hands full with these guys," he added as the members of the antiques gang was brought out from custody and carefully guarded by the DC's as they walked out of the station.

"Once again, a well performed job by all of you and…" he paused to focus on Mike alone. "Constable Bradley, I'm pleased to see that your hunch played out well."

"Thank you, sir," Mike replied humbly.

OOOOOO

Albert Alsop was fuming as he walked into the post office after hearing that Claude Greengrass had managed to get a small fortune out of his newly funded cheese business. Just outside the man had had the guts to wave at him with a bunch of paper money in his hand and a large grin on his face. It just wasn't fair since Albert had fought long and hard to get his farm to be productive and give income.

"Have you managed to find something on him yet?" he asked Oscar by way of greeting.

The former police sergeant shook his head. "Forget it Albert, it seems Claude hasn't done anything illegal. He just happened to get it all right this time," he explained kindly.

"I don't believe it," Alsop mumbled.

"I'm afraid I can't help you," Oscar let on.

The goat farmer huffed. "Well then, thanks for nothing," he said dejectedly and turned on his heels.

Oscar made a face as he watched the man walk out, meeting Alf Ventress in the door.

"Alf," Blaketon acknowledged cunningly. "How did it go yesterday?"

"I'd say it went fairly well," he replied. "There will be no more antique thefts in the area."

"That's good to know now that his lordship's hunt is coming up," Oscar said. "By the way, who's manning the station now that DI Shiner has left?"

Alf chuckled lightly. "I'll take care of things till Nick is better," he assured his old colleague.

"And division is going along with that?" he asked skeptically. "Nick has yet to awaken and, sadly, there's a possibility that he never will. The division is going to be forced to send a replacement."

"Have a little faith, Oscar," Alf replied. "What's with Alsop anyway?" he asked, effectively closing the subject at hand.

Blaketon took a deep breath. "Can't seem to let go of Claude's success," he muttered.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_18/28_


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen – Good News, Bad News **

Mike Bradley grimaced as Doctor Bolton gently examined his hip. The swelling had lessened considerably, and he could walk unrestrained again, but it still hurt while being prodded.

"The hip looks good, Mike," Neil said in an upbeat voice. "How's the head?"

"Clearer," he replied with a smirk.

"That is good enough for me," the doctor said. "I'll not assign you to active duty without restraints just yet, no motor biking. However, paperwork, desk duty, patrol with a car is fine by me."

"Wonderful news, thanks doc," Mike said happily.

"Take care, Mike," Neil returned and nodded at him before slipping out of the examination room, heading for another patient.

OOOOOO

Phil Bellamy narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he saw the package in Alf's hand.

"I thought you said you were going to the post office?" he asked, nodding to the bakery bag in his old colleague's hand.

"Can't I do both?" Alf returned.

"Are we celebrating something?" Phil asked curiously.

"The end of the antiques thefts, DI Shiner leaving for London," Alf suggested as he retrieved a large donut with cream on top.

Phil was just about to give a sarcastic reply as the door to the station opened, revealing Mike Bradley in a crisp uniform. "Well, look who is back," he said his focus shifting from Alf's donut to Mike.

"You're looking at a guy with a clean bill of health," Mike replied happily.

"Really?" Alf asked, indicating the almost invisible limp, as he took a large bite of the newly bought sweet.

"Okay, maybe not full active duty, no motor biking, but everything else," he said and straightened as he walked over to his desk without a limp, ignoring the slight discomfort it caused him.

"So, are you ready for Miss McMara?" Phil asked.

Mike nodded. "Sure, go and get her and I'll meet you in the interrogation room," he said.

OOOOOO

Claude was feeling anxious, a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time, as he knocked on the door to Doctor Bolton's office over at Ashfordly General Hospital.

"Come in," a steady voice called from the other side.

Claude twisted the doorknob and walked in to find both Doctor and Sister Bolton waiting for him, both wearing grave expressions.

"Claude, have a seat," Maggie suggested with a faint smile.

He nodded.

"We've got the preliminary results and your cheese contains a rather large amount of arsenic," Doctor Bolton said seriously.

Claude chuckled nervously. "Arsenic?" he questioned. "That can't be right."

"I'm afraid it is," the doctor countered.

"Do you think I'm daft?" Greengrass asked in disbelief. "I may be many things but I'm not that. Why would I spice it up with such a thing?"

"You tell me," Neil Bolton returned.

"Maybe you had some standing on a shelf somewhere. Should the health inspectors arrive at your house they would stop your production immediately," Maggie said. "I'm not suggesting you did it on purpose."

"I don't keep arsenic inside, actually I don't keep such a substance anywhere," he muttered.

"In any case, everything you've delivered must be recalled," Doctor Bolton said seriously.

"Wh…what?" Claude stammered. "You can't do that," he protested.

"I'm afraid I can, Mr. Greengrass, and I will. We can't risk anyone else becoming sick due to your products," the doctor countered.

OOOOOO

"This day is getting better and better," Phil said cheerfully to Mike as they walked out of the interrogation room.

Alf looked up from the newspaper he was currently studying, wondering what it was all about, as Phil walked over to his desk and Mike walked away with Miss McMara.

"It turns out Mary McMara had a fall out with her granddad after her parents died in a car crash. She was sent down to her auntie and raised by her. She got into trouble in her teens and it was debated whether or not her auntie could handle the young woman alone. After almost being taken away to live with foster parents she calmed down. However, during that period of time she met Denny Jones who promised her a lot of money if she'd run some errands for him," Phil explained to his baffled colleague.

"I thought she said to you yesterday, when she was brought in, that she didn't know Denny Jones?" Alf said.

"Apparently she's done some thinking overnight," Phil returned. "Says she owes her auntie the truth."

"Anyway," Mike said as he came from the holding cells. "The offer of money came as a blessing since her auntie had some problems with gambling debts. She got to know both Denny and his little brother. Unfortunately some time later things started to go south and Denny was arrested and brought down for drug dealing. During that time Ted and Mary stroke up a friendship resulting in a legal, at least officially, toy manufacturing company. With right connections and some money they built up a renowned company and managed to bribe enough people to be able to pull off Denny Jones supposedly untidy death."

"Unfortunately Ted forget to mention to Mary that he smuggled things in the dolls and other toys," Phil added. "She didn't know."

"And then Charlie Chadwick was born," Alf let on sarcastically.

"I'm impressed, Alf," Phil teased lightly. "The brothers split up as Denny took charge of the flourishing business and Ted, seeking a thrill, founded an antiques shop. He later befriended a few guys to help him with the supply," he added.

"At the same time there was trouble in the factory supply chain, causing the flow of money to stagnate and a strike back east to halt the company," Mike continued.

"No dope came in?" Alf guessed.

Mike nodded. "They decided to join forces, adding money from the antiques to found the toy manufacturing costs," he said. "Miss McMara, not knowing every part of the business, agreed to be a liaison between the two."

"Unfortunately, the more thefts the more interest from the police in the area," Alf deduced as he leaned back in his chair.

"Miss McMara thought it went a little out of hand and wanted out. When the office was raided and the lorry garage exposed by the police McMara agreed to use the old farm as a middle station before shipping," Mike explained. "That's when I saw the crates in the henhouse."

"She accidentally broke a doll in two when shifting the crates and found out what it was really about. She was on her way to leave the country for a while when I caught her up at the farm," Phil explained.

Alf shrugged waiting for his colleagues to finish their explanation.

"Now she feels it's time to come clean. She's prepared to make a deal with us, witness against the brothers and take the money on her bank account to restore Hillsdale Farm to what it once was," Mike said. "She will also see to it, under supervision of course, that the toy company will continue, this time as a legal firm."

"We'll just go and get Ted Jones," Phil let on triumphantly. "Miss McMara was kind enough to let us know his whereabouts."

OOOOOO

_Nick stared at her, not comprehending. He looked at his beautiful wife and their newborn little daughter in her arms. It was a perfect picture of a mother and child until you started to scrutinize the picture and really look at it. Kate looked exhausted, her sickly parlor, Nick suddenly realized, had nothing to do with her giving birth to their child but to an illness. An illness so vicious that it would most probably claim her life. It felt like he couldn't speak, could not understand, didn't want to understand what she was trying to tell him. _

"_How long have you known?" he finally managed, an undertone of accusation and suspicion in his voice that he was unable to fully conceal. _

_Kate swallowed, obviously not quite sure how to tell him or even what to tell him. "I…got the test results back the day before yesterday, she said, her voice strained. _

"_Why Kate?" He said with a slight quiver. "Why didn't you tell me?" _

"_I couldn't," she let on sadly. "I couldn't break it to you. I…" she trailed off and turned her head away, not having the strength to face him any longer. _

_Too much in a state of shock Nick didn't pressure her about it. He glanced down at his hands and sighed. He had walked into the room to have a moment with his wife and maybe hold his daughter, to be with his family, his world had been filled of joy and happiness. Now it felt like his world was slowly falling apart, like everything worked against him, against them. _

_His musings was broken as the newborn suddenly started crying. He got up from the chair he barely remembered sitting down on and walked over to gently take the baby, who rested in Kate's arms, to lull her to sleep and put her down on the small bed__that had been arranged for her. _

_Kate swallowed, her mouth dry and the tears threatening to trickle down her face, as she forced herself to look at Nick and their child, now in his arms. She was emotionally exhausted. "Nick, she whispered. "I was such a fool. I spoiled everything for you, I took you for granted…" she paused trying to gather herself. "I wasn't sure I wanted our baby. Then when everything started to get back to normal between us…Nick, you looked so happy, I didn't want to take it away from you," she managed. _

_He gently placed the baby on the small bed and turned to his wife. "Kate, you're everything I have," he said softly. "You have to fight this, we'll have to fight this," he reasoned. _

"_I don't think I can," Kate admitted and the sound of defeat in her voice scared him. _

_Nick tried to smile but he couldn't really bring himself to do it. He sat down on her bedside and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. Their eyes met for a moment but no words were spoken, both caught up in their own world of hurt, anger and despair. _

_Nick slowly rose and turned to walk out of the room. He hesitated and reached up with his hand to remove a tear from his eye before turning around, with a faint smile on his lips, to face his wife. "I have to take care of a few things, I'll get back later," he said. _

_Kate nodded and returned the faint smile by one of her own. "You do that, I'll be waiting for you," she replied. _

_Nick nodded and disappeared through the curtain, out in the corridor. He took a few steps in daze and then stopped trying to contemplate, trying to sort out everything he'd heard. _

_Sr. Maggie Bolton walked up to him and placed a gentle, comforting hand on his shoulder. He lifted his head to look at her and as he did so he saw his own sadness and hurt reflected in her eyes. _

"_I'm sorry, Maggie," he managed. "I don't want to talk right now." _

_A tear escaped from the nurse's eye and she nodded. "I understand, I'll be here if you need me," she said softly. _

_OOOOOO_

_To be continued _

_19/28_


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty – Light In the Dark **

Jo gently let go of Nick's hand and rose from the visiting chair. She fought to keep her tears at bay as she looked at his handsome face. Somehow, in an odd way, he seemed relaxed where he lay in the hospital bed, attached to a drip and monitors. It was another day, another day's visiting hours that was over. Once again she would go home to Katie and try to explain why her dad didn't come with her. Another day to come home to a cold house, a dark house. She missed Nick terribly, missed his kindness, their conversations; missed him beside her in their double bed. It was with a knot forming in her stomach that she took one last look at his pale face before she left.

She walked automatically, without thinking, lost in her own thoughts, through the hospital corridors and out to the parking lot. She drove the few miles between Ashfordly and Aidensfield and parked the car outside the police house, too tired to even bother putting it in the garage.

Today, to her surprise, the house wasn't dark. 'The babysitter must have brought Katie home,' she thought and suddenly felt grateful.

She walked straight up to the kitchen entrance and inserted the key. It was quiet inside and she guessed that the kind old woman from across the street had just gotten Katie to bed.

Jo sighed. For the third time that day she wished Aunt Eileen hadn't gone to France. She would have given a lot just to talk to her right now, to get advice and reassurance that Nick would be okay. She looked over at the bookshelf and smiled at the picture of Eileen and Katie together but then her eyes seemed to draw themselves to another picture; a picture of Kate Rowan. Jo hesitated and then walked over to the photograph. She picked it up and looked at the smiling woman, she looked so happy, so full of life, like she didn't know what trouble was.

"Have you come to take him away from me?" Jo whispered despondently to the smiling woman.

OOOOOO

"Watch your head Mr. Jones," Mike cautioned as he pushed the struggling man into the Panda car.

"I will be out of here in no time. You have no proof of anything," he said angrily.

"I think we do this time," Mike countered, finding it hard not to show his satisfaction. "Then of course there's the accident in the lorry garage."

"That's what it was; an accident," Jones returned heatedly.

"Anyway," the former London copper said as he tilted his head slightly to face Jones, who was now sitting in the back of the police car. "I'll let CID sort out everything with you and…by the way your brother says hello."

OOOOOO

Bernie Scripps looked forebodingly at the old tents lying on the back of Claude's truck. "Are you sure this is such a good idea?" he asked.

He huffed. "What do you mean? Of course it is," Greengrass returned. "You can't believe the cheap price for all of this."

Bernie sighed inwardly with a resigned look on his face. "Actually, I have a fairly good idea," he said.

"You need to do something about that personality of yours, you spend too much time in the company of the dead," Claude returned as he walked over from where he had been standing, overlooking the marked spot for the bear tent. He leaned over the flap and reached for the tent. "Come on give me a little help with this."

"Mr. Greengrass," David spoke up from behind him. "How do we string the poles?"

"Don't you worry about that now, David, give us a hand with this instead," Bernie said kindly.

"We use the sledge hammer and the…" Claude trailed off searching for the right word and then gave up. "…you know the sharpish things."

"He means the smaller wooden pieces which you tie the strings to and then secure to the ground," Bernie clarified.

"Oh, I didn't bring them," David said sheepishly. "Didn't think they came with the tents. I placed them on the stack of wood, for the fireplace."

Claude turned to look at him with an incredulous look on his face. "You what?" he asked in disbelief.

"Give me strength," Bernie mumbled wearily as he glanced at his watch.

Several hours later Lord Ashfordly sighed slightly in frustration as he overlooked the trio a bit further away in the Estate Park. Oscar Blaketon carefully contained a chuckle threatening to escape him as the tent that would serve as the mobile bar crashed down on top of Greengrass and Bernie while David stood outside with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"I have a feeling I'll come to regret my decision about getting those three to take care of the tents," Lord Ashfordly said in exasperation.

"Everything will be up and running till tomorrow evening, my lordship; I'll make sure of that," the former sergeant promised.

He secretly enjoyed helping the lordship with the organization around the event. Come to think about it he had years of practice, although it was as a police officer, overseeing the events.

"I'll have a chat with Constable Ventress about security," Ashfordly said and tore his gaze away from the green fields in front of him and focused on Blaketon, who was standing to his right. "I understand he will be left in charge now after the tragic events surrounding Sergeant Rowan's accident."

Oscar nodded solemnly. "We all hope he will come around soon," he said.

"Of course," the lordship replied. "It wasn't too long ago that we lost our good village doctor. A very tragic thing."

"I know Nick is a fighting spirit," Blaketon said. "Anyway, I'll head down to the station and talk to Alf. After all, I know the place fairly well."

OOOOOO

Alf Ventress lazily walked into the station with a satisfied look on his face and nodded his greetings at his younger colleague, Phil Bellamy. The lunch had ended already but he reasoned a couple of minutes, give or take, didn't make much of a difference. Besides, with DI Shiner off their backs, it would be up to him to man the station for a while.

The old copper had just about managed to get out of his coat when the door opened again and a stern looking man with sergeant stripes on his uniform walked in.

"Good morning," the unknown superior officer said curtly.

Phil frowned but then quickly rose from his chair and nodded before answering with a faint smile, "Good morning sergeant."

Alf raised a curious eyebrow where he stood, next to the row of hooks. "Is there anything we could do for you, sergeant?" he asked politely.

"I believe it's more a matter of what I can do for you, gentlemen," he let on with a smirk. "I'm Sergeant Lancewood and I'm here to relieve Sergeant Rowan for the time being."

Phil sat down dejectedly.

Alf slowly walked over to his desk before turning to face the newcomer once again. "I'm sorry, Sgt. Lancewood but we haven't been informed of such a thing," he said.

The Wales born sergeant, judging by his dialect, eyed him, his sharp brown eyes making Alf uncomfortable. He appeared to be in his early fifties, trimmed and neat and not afraid of stepping on someone's toes.

"Considering the events and the outcome of it all, division assigned me to Ashfordly on a temporal basis. Then of course, it all depends on what'll happen with Sergeant Rowan," he said.

Phil suddenly felt himself go angry. "Sergeant Rowan is a fighter. With all due respect, sir, I don't think it'll be long before he's back," the young constable said.

Lancewood shrugged. "Even so…," he trailed off waiting for the officers to give their names.

Alf smiled sheepishly. "Alf Ventress," he said as he sat down behind his desk.

"Phil Bellamy," the younger man said sullenly.

"Even so, Constable Bellamy, whether you like it or not, I'll be around for a while and I expect sharp officers, here on regular times, no slouching and that you do as I ask," the relief sergeant returned.

"Very well then sergeant, your office is through here," Alf said with a sweeping hand gesture."

"Thank you," he replied curtly and made to walk toward the closed door. After a few steps he stopped and turned back. "I was under the impression that there would be three of you under my command."

"Yes, sir, PC Bradley has his own patch in Aidensfield and will not report in until later today," Phil filled in.

"I see," Lancewood said and resumed his walk.

Ventress waited until the door was closed behind the man before picking up the phone. "I better give Mike a ring, warn him about this unexpected turn of events," he reasoned.

OOOOOO

_Nick tiredly eased down on his side of the bed as he'd just managed to lull baby Sarah to sleep. Kate tossed mildly in the bed, her breath hitching in her throat. _

"_Kate?" Nick asked softly as he turned toward her. _

_She shivered under the thick blanket and slowly opened her dull eyes. "Hold me," she whispered. _

_Without another word he wrapped his strong arms around her. He felt with alarm how cold she was and how thin she'd really become. _

"_Nick," Kate said softly. "I'll always be with you." _

_He felt himself shivering at the words spoken. "No, Kate, don't talk like that," he replied. _

"_Take care of Sarah for me and…" she trailed off and closed her eyes. _

_Nick swallowed, it felt like his heart had stopped and fear gripped him as he looked down at Kate. _

_When he feared she was no longer with him she slowly cracked her eyes open, a moment of clarity perhaps, he didn't know. _

"_I love you," she whispered. _

"_I love you too, Kate," he returned, trying to keep his inner turmoil out of his voice. _

_She didn't say anything more, not then, not ever, as her body relaxed and went limp in his arms. The sickness finally claiming her, delivering her at death's door. _

_Nick kissed her gently on the cheek as tears sprung from his eyes. "I don't know how to live without you, Kate," he whispered. _

_The Aidensfield constable couldn't take it anymore, it was too much. He got out of bed and headed downstairs. The cold stung his skin as he walked out, barefoot, on the single step in front of the door. Too stunned to care, too caught up in the horrible reality of what had just happened he sat down on the cold stone and wrapped his arms around himself, seemingly unaware of the snow tickling his skin. _

"_I'll be with you in your heart Nick, as long as you want me," Kate's voice echoed in his head. _

"_Kate," he whispered and grimaced as pain flared through his skull. _

"Nick," a soft voice said. "Nick, please, wake up."

"Kate?" he repeated in confusion.

"Nick, open your eyes," the voice commanded softly, hopefully.

He struggled to try and ascertain everything and then slowly opened his eyes into slits, not remembering having closed them in the first place. He gasped as bright light assaulted his senses.

"That's right, Nick," the voice encouraged and he blinked heavy eyelids open.

The curly blonde woman sitting next to him let out a shaky breath and took his hand into hers. A smile appearing on her face, a relieved smile.

A look of confusion clouded Nick's face as he looked around the room.

"You're in hospital, Nick," Jo's soft voice explained. "Let me get the doctor," she added.

Nick blinked, trying to keep his eyes open, but the tiredness he felt made him succumb once again to the darkness of before, but this time, darkness was all it was.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_20/28_


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One – The Replacement**

PC Mike Bradley slipped down a case file in the archives behind Alf Ventress as the door to the station opened. He curiously looked up to see Oscar Blaketon walking over to the counter.

The former sergeant, stationed in Ashfordly for a very long time, looked from Bellamy to Bradley and then finally Ventress. "Well, not running your legs off, I see," he muttered.

Mike's lips twisted in amusement at the retired officer and closed the drawer.

"What can we do for you, Oscar?" Alf asked as he placed the last of his dipped cake into his mouth.

"You shouldn't be sitting around here, you should be out on the patch, showing yourselves among the population," he reasoned sharply.

Alf leaned back in his chair. "If it wasn't anything more," he said curtly.

Blaketon turned to fix him with a glare. "If it has slipped your mind I will kindly inform you that the fox hunt up at the Ashfordly Estate will begin tomorrow evening. I'm surprised none of you have been up there already, to make arrangements."

"It doesn't require a constable to point in the right direction in a car park," Phil complained.

"You know Lord Ashfordly knows the chief constable. I'm just trying to make sure the station keeps its good reputation," Oscar said sharply.

"Is there some kind of problem?" a voice rang out from the sergeant's office.

Blaketon frowned and turned in the direction of his old office as a smart man walked out and headed toward the duty room.

"Sergeant Lancewood, this is former Sergeant Blaketon," Mike introduced.

"I wasn't aware division would send someone so quickly," Oscar said in a clear voice.

Lancewood crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "Judging from the sound of raised voices coming from here I take it this is not a social call?" he asked politely.

"No," Blaketon shook his head. "I've come from Lord Ashfordly and he is a bit worried about security," he explained.

The relief sergeant frowned, completely clueless.

"The lordship organizes a foxhunt every year for the posh people. They come from everywhere, London, Leeds, even Glasgow. Only this time the lower standing people, such as you and me, are invited. The festivities will go on for days," Oscar said sharply.

"What exactly is your point?" the relief sergeant asked, his patient becoming shorter for every minute passing.

"The lordship expects police presence," Oscar finished, slightly annoyed.

"Well then, of course he shall have it," Lancewood returned.

Blaketon's eyebrows shot upward in surprise.

"Whatever the lordship wants I take it he shall have. I'm sure the chief constable will be glad to know his officers will be of service," he said casually.

Blaketon narrowed his eyes suspiciously but said nothing for a while, appearing to be studying the man in front of him, trying to judge the character.

"I believe we're finished here," the new-comer said and turned to leave again.

"What are you going to do about the unsolved burglaries around here?" Oscar hollered after him. "People are beginning to worry again now that it stands clear that the antiques gang didn't steal everything we believed they stole."

"We?" Alf asked.

Oscar gave him a glare, still feeling like he was in the force but decided to let the remark go. He turned to look after the sergeant who quietly slipped into his office and closed the door. Turning toward Alf with a questionable look on his face he asked; "What is really going on here?"

"We know nothing more than you do, Sarge," Bellamy piped up as he sat down behind his desk, coming from the kitchenette.

OOOOOO

"Can you hear me?" Doctor Bolton said as he briskly walked through the door with Jo on his tail.

Nick tiredly fought to reopen his eyes but the darkness surrounding him didn't want to release him.

"Nick," Jo's soft voice called out. "Come on love, I know you're there."

He shifted slightly in the bed.

Sister Bolton came walking through the door, hope evident on her face as she had been summoned to the room from the maternity ward below. "Come on Nick," she encouraged.

The young sergeant slowly blinked his eyes open and took a moment to glance around the room. Three blurred persons surrounded him. He tried to focus and finally managed to make out his wife, their common friend Maggie Bolton and Dr. Bolton.

"Hi, love," Jo said softly, a smile playing on her lips.

"Can you hear me?" the doctor tried again.

Nick slowly tilted his head toward the doctor.

"Welcome back," Neil said and reached for Nick's wrist to take his pulse. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Nick Rowan," he said without hesitation.

Jo let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and carefully eased down in the visiting chair

as the doctor, obviously satisfied with the reading he got, kept asking Nick questions. She was so relieved it was beyond recognition.

"Do you remember what happened?" Maggie asked softly, standing next to Neil on Nick's left side.

For a moment there appeared to be nothing but frustration creasing Nick's brow but then he became more relaxed and turned to look from the doctor to the nurse.

"I fell through the floor," he said deadpan before suddenly remembering there had been others with him. "Mike," he said, dread creeping over him as he felt a knot form in his stomach, afraid of the answer.

"He's fine, Nick," Jo said as she reached over to take his hand into hers. "Mike is fine."

"Right," Neil said and turned to Jo. "Mrs. Rowan I need to borrow your husband for a while, take some new scans." He turned to Maggie who gave him a faint smile and walked over to Jo.

"Come on," the nurse said. "Let's go grab something to eat and when we get back Nick will be as good as new."

OOOOOO

PC Phil Bellamy sighed in frustration as he pulled up just outside the Ashfordly Estate. PC Mike Bradley drove up next to him with his motorbike and carefully removed his helmet and gloves. Phil got out of the car and stretched lightly easing the kinks out of his back.

"So far so good," he said sarcastically, overlooking the immediate green area where several tents had been arisen. "How does it feel by the way? To be able to ride the motorbike again?"

"Sore," he replied before switching back to the earlier remark. "It won't start till tomorrow afternoon," he returned with a smirk, "so yeah, it should be pretty quiet around here."

"Well then, I guess we better fix the parking lot, walk the perimeter and everything else like we usually do once a year," he said in exasperation.

"Of what I hear it's not like every other year. The whole village has been invited," Mike returned with a quirk.

Phil turned to look over his shoulder to face his colleague. "You know that's…" he trailed off as Mike raised his hand, "…what?"

Mike nodded toward the car's radio receiver. They hadn't gotten very far yet but the transmission was still hard to hear.

"_Delta-Alpha-Two-One come in please,"_ Ventress said over the line.

Mike and Phil looked at each other before the latter started walking toward the car, curious about what was going on albeit a bit suspicious.

"_Delta-Alpha-Two-Four come in please,"_ Ventress continued.

Mike hastily started toward the motorbike equally curious.

"_This is control, are you receiving?"_ The old copper spoke up through the microphone.

Mike quickly picked up the receiver at the back of his motorbike as he saw Phil opening his car door. "This is Alpha-Delta-Two-Four receiving Alf, go ahead," the former London constable replied.

There was a slight pause and then Alf spoke up again, his voice light and slightly teasing. _"Mike,"_ he said. _"I'm sorry to bother on your, no doubt, intriguing tasks but I wanted you to know that Nick has awakened,"_ he finished.

Phil, who had abandoned the car and headed toward Mike as Alf spoke reached for the microphone in Mike's hand and gently snatched it from him. "Say again Alf?" he urged, not sure he'd heard right.

"_I said Nick's awake, you daft bugger,"_ came the instant reply.

Phil looked up at Mike as he felt a pat on his shoulder. They shared a cautious smile which widened into a full grin.

"Now it's just those thefts that the antiques gang didn't do that we need to sort out," Mike said happily.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_21/28_


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty Two – Back To Reality **

Nick turned his head, fighting to keep his eyes open, as he thought he heard movement next to him.

"Welcome back Nick," Maggie greeted with a sombre smile.

"Thanks…," he mumbled and tried to shift a little in bed. "…I think," he added miserably as the action hurt his sore head.

The district nurse smiled softly at him as she straightened in the visiting chair next to him.

Nick reached up to rub his bleary eyes. "Has Jo left?" he asked curiously, a bit disappointed.

Maggie nodded. "She's been making herself sick with worry," the nurse said, confirming his suspicions as she looked away, her gaze trailing the corridor outside, through the window.

Nick sighed feeling a pang of guilt, having a distinct memory of calling out Kate's name to Jo when he woke up. He carefully massaged his aching temples, his eyes still closed. "I bet she's been here a lot recently and I can't stop thinking about what kind of thanks I gave her; calling out for Kate," he said sadly, scolding himself.

"You weren't much awake Nick," Maggie reasoned comfortingly. "Don't blame yourself, she'll understand."

"I had the strangest sensation," Nick let on as he opened his eyes to focus on the nurse, "…or dream, I can't really tell. I was with Kate and it was so real Maggie, so real."

His and Jo's mutual friend looked tired and worn, and there was a distant expression on her face. She looked down at her hands and then back at him.

"Unconsciousness, or a coma, can play the strangest tricks on the mind, Nick," Maggie said with an uncertain smile.

"Glimpses and pieces of our life's together…" he explained, his voice no more than a whisper.

"This might not be the best topic now but, since we are on it already…this might sound silly," she mumbled with a sheepish smile. "I got a feeling of déjà vu. I thought I had gotten over it but obviously I hadn't. When you lay here somewhere between life and death…" she trailed off and leveled her eyes with his.

Nick felt the hair at the back of his neck rise as the meaning of her words hit him. 'Had he really been that close to dying?' he wondered briefly.

"For a while there Nick I feared I would lose another good friend and there's was nothing I could do about it. You were slipping through my fingers just like Kate did, no matter how hard I tried to cheer her up, make her keep fighting…" Maggie said while the moist gathered in her eyes and she had to reach up and carefully run a finger under her eyes to keep the tears at bay.

"Well, you wouldn't get rid of me that easily," Nick began softly with a half-smirk. "I have a hard head," he added with a quirk.

Maggie looked at him, his pale face in stark contrast to his dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. However, there was a spark in those, previously dull, eyes and she started to recognize her friend again. The corner of her lips curled upward in a slight amusement. "Yes," she concurred. "Idiots usually do."

Nick frowned, looking lost for a moment. "Sorry?" he replied in confusion.

"A hard head," she let on as she shifted in the chair and fixed him with a disapproving glare. "Nick, what on earth where you thinking back there?"

The young sergeant cringed at her accusing tone.

"You could have died!" she added. "How do you think Katie would have dealt with that? Losing both her parents at only three years of age. First her mother and then her father. And how do you think Jo would have been able to cope with losing you? And me and Gina, Phil and the rest of the village?" she pressed on, her emotions getting the better of her.

Dr. Neil Bolton retraced the few steps he had been taken down the corridor and curiously turned back to stop just outside the half-opened door to the young sergeant's room at hearing his estranged wife's sad and hurt voice. However, he didn't go in – he stopped with his hand on the doorknob as she spoke up again, this time in a much calmer voice.

"I'm sorry Nick," she said regretfully as she sank back in the visiting chair. "It's just…, it's been a tough week." She corrected herself "…weeks even."

"It's all right Maggie," he said, feeling his eyes starting to close.

"Do you remember when half the village got those threatening letters almost one and a half year ago?" she asked, but she didn't wait for him to reply as it was more of a statement than a question. "I told you about me having an abortion because it would have been inappropriate for me to give birth to a child when not married and especially with a politically involved man," she said.

Nick nodded, slightly confused about where this conversation would be going.

"That's the first half of it," she let on. "Then I met Neil – Doctor Bolton, and we fell in love, madly in love. Everything was coming along nicely and I was the happiest person in the world," she said with a distant smile as if she was remembering something from the past. "Or at least I thought I was," she added sarcastically. "I lost our baby, Nick. I lost mine and Neil's baby. It drove us apart and I haven't been able to open up entirely since then," she confessed.

Neil slowly let go of the doorknob and took a step back, intrigued by the conversation on the other side.

"I don't know what to say," Nick said softly. "I'm sorry Maggie. It must have been a shock to you when he suddenly appeared at this hospital."

"It most definitely was," she concurred. "I thought I had put the past behind me, the pain in my soul when I handled the newborns at the maternity, it hurt less when I was on my own. But then, when he came back a couple of months ago it all came back to me, catching up to me after all these years," she sadly trailed off and Nick could see how hard it was for her to speak about it.

"I blamed myself for losing our baby. I thought that maybe…by having that abortion in my youth I had somehow condemned the child and that it died because...because it wasn't meant to happen," Maggie finished with a tear in her eye.

Neil sadly pursed his lips together into a thin line and silently retreated from where he was standing and headed down the corridor, feeling empty inside at the revelation he had heard.

"I couldn't handle it, Nick, and I…Neil thinks I _drove_ him away, but he left me when I _needed_ him the most," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I haven't had a good relationship since then, afraid of getting hurt again," she said and looked up at him.

Nick nodded slightly, not sure what to say.

"For a while there I thought I was ready, that _we_ had something going on but then I got scared that you weren't ready to commit so soon after Kate's death and I didn't want to take the chance of getting hurt again. The scars in my soul was too deep."

Nick nodded and somehow her actions seemed much clearer now.

"You have managed Nick. How did you do it?" she asked.

The young sergeant took a deep breath and fixed his eyes on a seemingly invisible spot on the further wall. "You don't cope with it, Maggie, you learn to deal with it," he said darkly, gloomily. "There has been times when I thought; What's the use of this meaningless life? But then again, somehow, you manage. Besides, I had little Katie to take my mind of other things," Nick explained.

Maggie nodded sadly, listening to what he said.

"I was angry at Kate, I really was, for hiding it from me, letting me down, for not fighting it hard enough," he let on and there was an undertone in his voice that saddened Maggie.

"And I was angry at the doctors – her supposed colleagues, for not noticing. I don't want to go through all that again," he said and the last few words came out as a whisper only.

Maggie looked down at the floor and when she raised her head again she saw her friend looking at her with a faint smile on his pale face.

"What do you want to do Maggie?" he asked kindly.

"I don't know really," she replied sincerely. "But I needed to talk to someone who might understand," she said in appreciation.

Nick gave her a weak smile. "I'll probably not remember anything of it tomorrow. My mind is a bit hazy as of right now," he let on.

Maggie returned the smile, rose from the chair and gently squeezed his shoulder. "You need to rest Nick, I'll be back later," she assured him. "Thank you."

"For what?" he wondered aloud.

"For listening," she replied softly.

OOOOOO

It was fairly early in the forenoon when PC Alf Ventress drove up the roadway to the traditional goat farm where Albert Alsop lived on his own. Despite having a large number of relatives he hadn't found anyone to share his life with at the age of fifty.

The goat farmer came walking over the courtyard, eyeing the police car suspiciously as it parked over at the house.

Alf slowly got out of the driver's seat and put on his helmet. They met halfway and acknowledged each other.

"Albert," Alf said.

The farmer nodded. "What brings you up here, Alf?" he asked.

"I think it's time all this came to an end don't you?" the old copper asked, returning the question with one of his own.

Alsop frowned, waiting for the police officer to explain further.

"You added a few things to Claude's cheese did you not?" Alf pushed.

"I have no idea what you're talking about?" the farmer replied, managing an innocent look.

"I think you do," Alf countered in a calm neutral voice. "You see, I know you sneaked up there at night, broke into the house and put a small dose of arsenic in the cheese."

Something uncertain flickered in Albert's eyes briefly but he said nothing so Alf decided to continue.

"I think you better come clean, Albert, or I'll be forced to take the matters further. I don't think you'll like that. Our temporary sergeant might not see it the same way as I do, or some other local person," he reasoned.

With a look of defeat Albert Alsop nodded his head and sighed.

A faint smile creased the old copper's lips. "I thought so. I know you're a reasonable man," Alf said. "Jump into the car, we'll head up to the Ashfordly Estate and have a talk with Dr. Bolton and Maggie about it. As for the woman who got ill, I don't think she will be pressing charges."

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_22/28_


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty Three – The Truth **

Former police sergeant Oscar Blaketon got out of his Volvo station wagon after having been told where to stand by a waving parking guard in the form of David Stockwell and headed for the area with party tents.

Once on the force, always on the force, he cast an eye around, scanning the surroundings for anything suspicious. Finding nothing that seemed to be out of the ordinary he set out for the beer tent.

Gina looked up, smiling, as he entered. "Hello, Oscar," she greeted. Come to take a look around?"

He nodded. "Something like that," he said in his usual stern voice and turned around as there was a commotion outside. Intrigued he walked out of the tent and spotted Sr. Maggie Bolton, PC Alf Ventress and the goat farmer Albert Alsop, the latter involved in an argument with his old nemesis, Claude Greengrass.

"I don't believe it," Claude spoke up in bewilderment. "Here I had been accused and distrusted and it's been his doing all along!"

"Calm down, Claude," Alf cautioned as several people around them had started to take interest in the little gathering.

"Calm down?" the old crook echoed. "I've endured a loss of income, been distrusted, my contracts with the local grocery store has been terminated," he complained.

"Well, then," Blaketon said as he stopped next to the upset man, looking smug, unable to contain his enjoyment. "It's about time you're on the other side Greengrass."

Claude rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Don't you have something better to do?" he asked sarcastically. "Like selling stamps?"

Maggie felt the need to step in. "So, all in all I don't think there's too much harm done Mr. Alsop but I must caution you that it could have gotten dire consequences for a lot of people," she said sternly.

Alsop nodded sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Sr. Bolton, I only thought so far. I just wanted to…I don't know, prevent him from getting lucky and rich on something I should have thought about a long time ago," he explained.

"My reputation has gone out the window," Claude said glumly.

"Like it was any better before, Greengrass," Blaketon quipped.

"Maybe I can repay you," Albert offered. "Name a fair price for the goats and I'll incorporate them into my business."

The corner of Claude's lips curled slightly upward before he broke into a cunning grin. "Maybe you're on to something," he replied.

"That's a good idea Mr. Alsop," Maggie concurred.

"Can we let the matter rest now?" Alf asked carefully. "The charges will be dropped against you Claude," he added at the questionable look on the scruffy man's face.

"I don't believe it," Blaketon muttered. "I don't believe in luck but after this I might have to reconsider," he said sullenly and walked off.

OOOOOO

Sergeant Lancewood frowned skeptically as young David Stockwell suddenly waved a parking sign in front of the windscreen on the panda car.

Phil Bellamy opened the window and nodded at him. "Let us in David," he said kindly.

"Sure Mr. Bellamy," he replied and stepped aside to let the car inside the marked area.

"Another local?" the relief sergeant asked sarcastically. "Is he, you know, all there?"

Phil chuckled as he pulled up next to the black Ford Anglia police car. "He's harmless, sergeant. Maybe a little lost, since his old mum died, but we are doing our best to take care of him," he said.

"By saying we, I take it you mean the other villagers?" Lancewood asked quizzically with dryness in his voice.

Phil nodded as they got out of the car, he from the driver's seat and Lancewood from the passenger seat. "This is where the annual foxhunt is taking place; at the Ashfordly Estate. This year it has been extended with a market for the locals and some smaller competitions for the children," he explained.

Lancewood nodded. "With a few agility classes for rabbits and a 'jump in the sack' race?" he asked unenthusiastically.

Phil sighed inwardly. He really wished Nick would get back on his feet soon, real soon. This man was a nightmare to work with and he was always watching over your shoulder. He never thought he would say it but Blaketon wasn't so bad after all.

"Why don't you patrol the perimeter Constable Bellamy? Take a look around and make sure there isn't anything going on. I'll head for the beer tent to make sure everything is done by the book," he commanded and strode off, leaving Phil with a sullen look on his face.

"Why the long face?" Ventress asked with a slight tease in his voice as the relief sergeant slipped into the beer tent.

Phil turned around to find his older colleague standing behind him, looking smug.

"Patrolling the perimeter," Phil muttered, "like there would be someone hanging around out there, on the outskirts of the estate. Not even Greengrass would a day like this."

Alf grinned. "I'll stroll around for a while. I can report the standings in the competitions for you when you get back," he said and patted his younger colleague on the back.

"Not so fast," Phil returned with a twinkle in his eyes. "You're wanted back at the station. Mike is waiting for you to come and take over the radio and man the place."

Alf opened his mouth to protest.

"Sorry Alf, no beer drinking on duty, no gossiping with the locals or putting up your feet somewhere," he said.

"Well then, back to the station it is. I could always do with a quiet afternoon all by myself. A fag, a nice cup of tea and some newspaper reading," he reasoned. "You'll still have to patrol the perimeter."

Maggie cast a quick glance at the two constables and smiled before heading into the beer tent just barely catching on to the last piece of the conversation going on between Lancewood and Gina.

"…so in the future I would appreciate if you would have your license with you and be able to verify that you're who you say you are," the relief sergeant finished.

Gina looked like she was ready to explode but when she spoke it was with a calm and fairly neutral voice. "Sergeant Lancewood," she began, "I'm here because the lordship hired me to be here. I am who I say I am. You could ask every single person in here and they will verify things for you."

"Very well, there have been no complaints to speak of. But I'll keep my eyes open," he replied sternly.

"You do that, preferably on petty thieves or other things that could involve policing," she returned. "Don't arrest the lordship or his foxhunting friends, they're licensed to be here," she added.

He pursed his lips together but decided to keep quiet and turned on his heels to exit the tent as Maggie walked up to the counter, trying to keep a straight face.

"Well, that told him," the nurse said in amusement.

"I agree with Oscar Blaketon, the man is a pain in the ass," Gina replied.

Maggie chuckled. "He said so?" she asked.

"Not in so many words but I think Greengrass did," she let on with a cunning smile. "So, how's the day coming for you?"

"So far so good," Maggie let on. "No broken bones as of yet but the hunt has only just started and the competitions won't be over for several hours. Then there is the rest of the week."

"So far so good, hey?" the barmaid said and poured a glass of orange juice. "Here, it's on the house. I could use some company."

OOOOOO

Doctor Neil Bolton removed the stethoscope from Nick's chest and then nodded. "Everything seems to be in order," he said as he walked over to adjust the drip and then went on to scribble down a few notes on the medical sheet next to the bed.

Nick sighed and shifted to a more comfortable position on the bed. He gently reached up to massage his temples.

The doctor looked up from the chart with a frown. "You're still experiencing headaches?" It was more of a statement than a question.

Nick nodded slightly as he let his hand come to rest next to his side.

"I'll see what I can do about that but it's not surprising considering what you've been through. Don't expect everything to return to normal just yet. Head injuries are tricky business," Neil said seriously before continuing. "I have to admit that for a while there…" he said no more, needn't say no more.

"Thanks doctor," the young sergeant returned wearily.

Neil smiled faintly, returning the faint smile on Nick's pale face. "I'll be back shortly," he said and turned to walk out just as the door opened revealing Mike Bradley.

"Constable Bradley," Neil acknowledged.

"Doctor Bolton," he returned politely and looked after him, as he disappeared out in the corridor, before refocusing on his sergeant. "Nick."

"Mike, you seem cheerful today," he said with a slight tease despite the dull headache.

"Yeah, I'm glad the first day of the hunt went by smoothly," he replied with a smirk.

"Why, is there something I should know about?" Nick asked curiously.

"Sergeant Lancewood is really something," Mike let on.

An amused look crossed Nick's face for a moment. "It's not easy coming from the outside, you know," he implicated since both of them came from London.

Mike chuckled lightly. "I think he's had it coming," he let on cryptically.

Nick made a face and clasped his hands together on his stomach, waiting for Bradley to continue.

"He's been asking Gina about her license for running the beer tent, coordinated with the game keeper and had us patrolling the perimeter. Then he relieved poor David Stockwell of the parking duties and agreed for the police to take over since David managed to upset some old, rich lady. He's even been asking the lordship if he's been satisfied with efforts made by the Constabulary," Mike said.

"Technically there's nothing wrong with that, he's doing everything by the book," Nick said.

"It's…I don't know, it feels like he's keen to show something," the constable said thoughtfully.

Nick smiled faintly. "You begin to sound like Oscar Blaketon," he said amusedly.

"Anyway, we'll see what happens tomorrow," Mike said, purposely avoiding the statement. "You better get out of that hospital bed of yours before he gives us too much trouble."

"I promise you; as soon as I'm let out of this place, I will," Nick returned in exasperation.

"Jokes aside, Sarge, how are you feeling?" Mike asked.

"I feel weak and I can't seem to get rid of this headache," he returned seriously. "But I won't let it keep me away too long," he added with a smirk as Doctor Bolton appeared in the doorway.

"Glad to hear it, Sarge. I better head over to the Ashfordly Estate early tomorrow before something happens," he offered slightly amused.

"It's usually the riding party that stands for the accusations and trouble but then again this situation has never arisen before," Nick replied, looking smug. "And then there's Greengrass."

"I think he's been taken care of this time," Mike assured him cunningly. "Take care, Sarge," he added and headed for the door.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_23/28_


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty Four – Here To Compete **

"David?" Greengrass shouted, running around the area like some misplaced child. "I don't believe it," he muttered in annoyance, under his breath, catching up with the garage owner and undertaker.

"Bernie, have you by any chance seen David somewhere?" Claude asked.

"Not recently no," he said thoughtfully as he finished securing the last strip of wire holding the food and beer tent.

Claude sighed and shaded his eyes from the early morning sun and curiously followed the line with his eyes. "I thought we raised that tent two days ago?" he stated.

"We did, you just didn't strap it properly. I would hate to have it fall down on top of all the guests and, especially, that relief sergeant," Bernie reasoned.

Claude huffed. "What is he playing at anyway? _One_ Blaketon is enough," he muttered before starting to walk away.

"What did you want with David anyway?" Bernie hollered after him.

"I wanted his help to shift all the goats to Alsop's place," he replied.

"Wait a minute Claude," the undertaker protested. "Didn't you agree to be the judge for the sack race?"

"That's hours away," he countered as he let his eyes roam the area for the missing helper. "What do you expect me to do, twiddle my thumbs?"

Bernie took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as he tilted his head upwards and closed his eyes. "Give me strength," he whispered.

OOOOOO

PC Phil Bellamy unenthusiastically did the hand signal for stop as a sporty black Alfa Romeo came gliding up the driveway to the Estate. The polite smile was after several hours of this ridiculous duty etched on his face.

"Sir, are you here for the market?" the red headed police officer asked kindly as the driver rolled down the window.

"Of course I'm here for the market?" the man returned, annoyed at being stopped. "Why else would I be here?"

Phil made a face. "I really wouldn't know, sir," he answered in a neutral voice. "So, if you would kindly park next to the green Rover over there," he added and pointed in a northeast direction further down the large park like area that the lordship had spared as a parking space.

"That is ridiculous," the man protested. "It's on the other side of the market area. Would take several minutes just to make it there."

"There's nothing I could do about that, sir. I'm not in charge of the organization for this event," he let on and the ghost of a smile still present on his face became genuine.

The driver let out an exasperated sigh and muttered something inaudible as he began to roll up the window.

"Have a nice day now and please don't forget to pay for the parking, just see the man in blue over there," he instructed and by now the smile had turned in to a satisfied grin.

He shook his head lightly as he turned back to focus on the driveway as a familiar motorbike came driving up to him. Being in a splendid mood at the moment, he mock saluted his colleague and then indicated for him to stop.

"Constable Bradley, I'm sorry but no fakers or frauds are allowed entry," he teased.

"Aha, very funny," Mike returned sarcastically as he killed the engine and got off the vehicle. "How's it coming?"

"Nicely," Phil returned. "It's just that this wasn't what I dreamt about when I applied the academy."

"No?" Mike asked with faked surprise. "Could have fooled me."

OOOOOO

Sergeant Lancewood straightened in the chair as he was sitting in Rowan's office back at Ashfordly police station. He folded the newspaper and threw it on the desk in frustration, staring at the headline on the front page.

"Antique gang behind bars – Items still missing."

Everything that had been confiscated during the CID raid back in Whitby had been taken to the respective owner and the smaller items at Hillsdale Farm and the lorry garage in Ashfordly had been returned as well. Lancewood rubbed his forehead feeling the beginning of a light throbbing. He didn't understand it. 'How come several items was still missing?' he mused.

He let his musings subdue as there was a rapid knock on the door. "Come in," he commanded.

"Thought you could do with a cup of tea," Alf reasoned in a friendly manner as he made his way over to the desk.

"Thanks PC Ventress," he replied curtly. "Anything happening down at the Estate?"

The old copper shook his head. "Nothing Phil and Mike can't handle, of that I'm sure," Alf returned as he curiously cast a glance at the newspaper.

Lancewood followed his gaze, pursing his lips in a thin line of displeasure. "Any local knowledge that may shed some light over the mystery?" he asked gloomily.

"Not at the moment, I'm afraid, Sarge," Alf returned and clasped his hand behind his back. "So; when Sergeant Rowan returns would you head back to…?"

"Division headquarters in Whitby," he replied, his mood darkening.

OOOOOO

"Everything all right?" Oscar Blaketon asked in his normal sharp voice as he walked up to the counter in the beer tent.

Gina smiled as he approached her. "It's fairly quiet at this hour but I'm doing fine. There's no stopping to some. I'm having no problem getting my expenses paid for after this," she let on cheerfully.

Oscar nodded. "What about the Aidensfield Arms?" he asked.

Gina shrugged. "Gladys' Auntie Nelly is doing a wonderful job manning it but there hasn't been much activity. Everyone seem to be up here," she replied.

Blaketon took a quick look around and noted that the regulars whom, he sometimes suspected, had been glued to the chairs next to the counter at the pub, was assembled in the tent. "So it seems," he concurred.

"I better go and check up on Greengrass, I don't trust him to man the tents and ground service around here," he said and headed for the opening, meeting Jo Rowan with Katie in hand on the way.

"Jo," Gina exclaimed happily as the teacher made her way toward her. "I'm so glad to see you. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," she said softly. "And Nick too, thank heavens."

"No, children in here," one of the regulars spoke up.

Gina glared at him. "She won't be long, if it doesn't suit you perhaps you could take a stroll in the park for a while," she returned.

"We can head outside," Jo said, not wanting to get her friend any trouble.

"Absolutely not," the barmaid protested. "Walking is good for them."

"How's it going? Did we order enough?" Jo asked curiously.

Gina nodded. "I'm glad you managed to persuade me to order more than I initially planned," she said with a twinkle in her eye. "Now, how's Nick doing?"

"You have no idea how nice it is to finally talk to someone who actually answers," Jo said happily. "I never thought I would hear his voice again. Gina, it was awful."

"But it's over now," she reasoned kindly. "I told you he would fight."

"Yeah, you did," Jo agreed.

"You've got to have some faith in me," Gina reasoned with a chuckle.

"That brings us back to our previous discussion," Jo said cunningly. "Have you spoken to Phil yet?"

"About what?" the barmaid asked innocently, appearing disinterested.

"Come on, he's sweet on you and you're sweet on him," Jo returned.

OOOOOO

"David, where have you been?" Bernie said in relief as the young man came half-walking, half-jogging toward the market area with Alfred in a tight leach.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Scripps, but Alfred got away and I couldn't find him," he explained sheepishly.

"Well, you're here now. Claude has been looking for you for ages," he explained.

David glanced around and then frowned. "Where is Mr. Greengrass?" he asked curiously.

"I don't know," Bernie returned in exasperation. "I have enough to do around here as it is without looking out for you two. Someone must man the service around here."

OOOOOO

"Sergeant Lancewood, Ashfordly Police Station," he spoke into the mouthpiece, ending the shrill of the telephone.

"_Leonard,"_ a commanding voice said by way of greeting.

"Good day, sir," he answered politely, stiffening as he recognized the Inspector in charge of HQ in Whitby.

"_I'm sitting here at my desk and could you imagine my surprise when I saw the front page of the Ashfordly Gazette?"_ he asked sternly.

Lancewood's eyes were involuntarily drawn to the newspaper, still present on his desk, as the superior officer continued.

"_It doesn't look so good I'm afraid, that you haven't yet managed to retrieve the stolen goods, considering that the constables in Ashfordly managed to nail the entire Antique gang with some help from CID,"_ he finished.

Lancewood swallowed, his mouth dry. "I can assure you it won't be long now. We are currently following up some leads," he said, trying to sound convincing.

"_From what I've heard your priority at the moment is that big hunt back at the large Ashfordly Estate,"_ the Inspector countered. _"You need to be able to do more than one thing at a time, Lancewood, if you really want to have the position as the regular sergeant down in Ashfordly." _

"I understand that the evaluation is still running," the relief sergeant asked.

"_Yes, but not for very long; Chief Constable Waters has no reason for relieving Sergeant Rowan of his command. In fact he was recommended by former Sergeant Blaketon and he has done a good job so far. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets the position,"_ Inspector Henderson said.

"I will do my best, sir," Lancewood merely answered.

"_That better be good,"_ Henderson returned.

Lancewood sighed as he put down the telephone and leaned backward in his chair.

Out in the duty room PC Alf Ventress carefully put down the telephone on his desk, intrigued by the conversation he'd just been listening in to.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_24/28_


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty Five – Disaster At Ashfordly Hall**

"Jo, come on, seriously? Phil and I?" Gina said.

"Don't you try and deny it," Jo challenged with amusement.

Gina opened her mouth to protest once again when a dark, tall and handsome man came walking into the tent. He was impeccably dressed in white riding trousers and a classic red jacket. Her mouth still open, Gina put her hands on her hips. "Now that is good looking man," she managed as she rose from the chair and headed back to the counter.

"Hello, ma'am, can I have a pint please?" he asked politely with a pleasant smile.

"Certainly," the barmaid replied, returning his charming smile with a smile of her own. "So, tell me, how's the hunt progressing?"

He sighed and tilted his head a bit, smirking. "Not too bad. I seem to be surrounded by good looking women," he replied humbly.

Gina chuckled nervously at the compliment. "Thank you," she said, nearly drowning in his dark brown eyes.

At that moment Phil Bellamy made an unfortunate entrance into the beer tent. The boredom he'd been feeling just a second ago and the happiness of finally getting a break and have a chat with Gina disappeared altogether. With a deep disappointed sigh he walked over to Jo and Katie.

"Hi, Phil," Jo said softly appreciating the company.

He couldn't help but to return Katie's innocent smile as he sat down opposite them and the relief and happiness radiating from Jo made it impossible for him to be gloomy despite his efforts.

"Hi, Jo and hello Katie," he said softly before daring a glance over his shoulder, seeing Gina smile and laugh at something the posh rider said to her.

"Why the long face?" Jo asked softly with an undertone of sympathy.

"Why?" he asked, giving her an odd look. "She's practically drooling over him," he complained.

Jo suddenly started to chuckle, confusing him even more.

"What?" he asked.

"Don't you worry Phil, she'll get over him. In any case; he would get over her when his wife and mistress clashes over him back on the field," she explained.

"She doesn't know?" the constable said, his eyebrows knitting together.

"Not yet anyway," Jo let on.

OOOOOO

"Bernie," Blaketon said sharply as he walked up to the garage owner.

The man in question jumped slightly at the commanding tone of voice as he'd been engrossed in the participation list of the dog agility race that was to take place 30 minutes later.

"Oscar," he greeted. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to," the former sergeant apologized. "Look, the so called mobile toilets are full and Greengrass is nowhere to be seen."

"Right," he returned in exasperation, "I'll see what I can do about it."

"Thanks Bernie, you're a real life saver," Oscar said appreciatively and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"More like a sanitary man," he muttered gloomily.

OOOOOO

Lord Ashfordly trotted up to the large stables and nodded to a stable boy as he dismounted his white stallion, handing over the reins. "Take good care of him," he said curtly, not really waiting for a reply.

He strolled over the courtyard and turned to overlook the activities going on all around. People were laughing and clapping their hands, children played with each other. 'Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea,' he mused proudly.

However, his thoughts were soon interrupted and his pride nagged as the sharp sound of a woman's scream echoed between the trees. He stiffened and went from satisfied, to annoyed, to angry within a single minute as he spotted a large dog running lose amidst all the competitors of the sack race only to move on to the small market stands, managing to wreck one of them completely.

Alfred, energized by the turn of events, hastily got up from his position next to David and took off after the other dog, barking along the way of spectators. The young, slightly slow, man went after him, almost knocking a posh woman off her feet in the process.

It caused a stir in the beer tent as the dog rushed in there and out the back, resulting in the dog being chased by, not only, it's sheepish owner but by PC Bellamy as well.

Unbeknownst to the chaos outside Bernie Scripps chose that moment to walk out of the small toilet tent for the women, in the process of switching the canister.

Lord Ashfordly chose that moment to place a hand before his eyes.

OOOOOO

"I don't understand what Lord Ashfordly is so upset about?" Claude complained as he gingerly, mindful of his aching back, sat down in his sofa back home several hours later.

"Maybe because you promised to run the ground service and that the fence you provided for the competing dogs did nothing to keep them locked in," Bernie reasoned in an even voice. "Then that particular dog that tore loose managed to collapse the toilet tent."

Claude huffed. "He wanted to have an event no one would forget," he said.

Bernie nodded. "That was exactly what he got," he returned sourly. "Well, I better pop back to the garage and close for the day, see if that old chap, Harry, has accomplished anything while I've been away."

OOOOOO

"I don't believe this, two days ago it was this loose dog causing havoc all over the place and now this," Blaketon complained, his voice sharp and carrying an undertone of bitterness and annoyance as his eyes tracked a large horse galloping wildly over the field next to the market area.

Mike Bradley hastily glanced at his wristwatch and noticed to his disappointment that it was only eleven o'clock and the day had just begun. He had arrived almost an hour earlier hoping to have a fairly quiet day and enjoy some of the festivities himself but, as of right now, fate had other plans. "We better try and detain it," he reasoned as he started toward the grey gelding, stretching his long legs over the grassy green, heading toward Ashfordly's flower park. "Round up some men!"

Oscar started running in the opposite direction, back toward the gathering of tents and people, as Maggie came out of the tent serving as a temporary medical clinic and first aid.

"Oscar!" the nurse hollered.

He stopped to catch his breath as she closed the distance between them.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"A horse is loose and we don't know where the rider is," he explained, slightly out of breath.

Maggie nodded as she glanced over his shoulder, seeing Mike on his way to try and catch the animal.

"Leave it with me," she cautioned and squeezed his shoulder. "Just sit back and rest, I don't want you to have another heart attack out here. It's not worth it, let some of the younger blokes help Mike," she reasoned.

He nodded and bit back a reply about still being strong and vigil.

"What's going on?" Blaketon heard a familiar voice ask and looked up to see Alf Ventress with the relief sergeant in tow coming toward him.

"Stupid animal came loose," he muttered.

Without a word Lancewood took off with the bunch of people that Maggie had rounded up and headed down the slope of the hillock diverting Lord Ashfordly's park into two.

Oscar glanced over his shoulder at the people coming to help Mike and then turned to Alf. "What is he really doing here?" he asked.

"He's out for Nick's position," Alf replied calmly, causing Blaketon's eyebrows to rise into his hairline.

"Really?" he said.

"Apparently HQ in Whitby weren't too pleased with his achievements so far," Alf added with a cunning smile.

They both turned to see the gathering closing in on the horse just in time to see Sergeant Lancewood tripping on a root.

Blaketon chuckled. "Not used to rough terrain is he?" he asked ironically.

"More of a city boy I would say," Alf returned amused. "However, our own former city boy is doing better," he added as Mike slowly and with gentle movements managed to get hold of one of the reins.

OOOOOO

"Sit still please," Sr. Maggie Bolton said as she placed a firm hand on the rider's chin to clean the cuts and scrapes on her face.

"Ouch," the woman said with a grimace.

"What's going on? Is everything all right?" Lord Ashfordly demanded as he entered the small tent.

"I told you to loan me a good horse not some lunatic," the fortyish something, dark haired woman complained accusingly.

"I thought you knew how to ride, Amanda," he replied in a patronizing tone that managed to make the woman even angrier.

"How dare you, Charles," she countered as she turned to look at him, forcing Maggie to gently turn her head back to look at her.

"He's one of the offspring to my champion, which you were very interested in yesterday. I thought you wanted to see for yourself how good he was. I didn't expect to have him ploughing up my roses," the lordship returned. "Anyway, I'm glad to see that you're all right."

A slow creepy smile crept over Amanda's face. "If he's that good, I better take him out on another ride," she said.

"If you're up to it you can ride the last hunting day on him," Ashfordly reasoned.

"She will be fine," Maggie assured him.

"Well then, it's settled then," he said and strode out.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_25/28_


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty Six – Released At Last **

Sergeant Nick Rowan carefully stretched his legs and worked out the kinks in his back, standing next to his hospital bed, as Jo came in with a duffel bag in hand.

"Well hello handsome," she said cheekily as she placed the bag on the bed and walked over to place her arms around his middle, her head tilted upwards.

Nick gently sneaked his arms around her in return and lowered his head toward her, the moment later their lips met in a passionate kiss.

Jo sighed happily as they broke away from each other. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment," she said.

"Actually I have a fair idea," he admitted with a grin. "If I'm not mistaken I've waited just as long."

Jo couldn't help but chuckle, slapping his shoulder playfully. "Go on, get dressed now," she said.

"If this had been any other day I would have preferred you saying I should get undressed," he whispered in her ear.

"You cheeky…" she began as Doctor Bolton walked into the room.

"Everything all right?" he asked curiously.

"Never better," Nick returned with a cunning look directed at Jo.

"Good, I want to talk to you before you leave. Give you some restraining orders and so on," the doctor said kindly before walking away again.

Nick looked after him as he began to unbutton his sleeping wear jacket. "I can't wait to get out of this place," he let on.

"Shall I help?" Jo asked. "We don't want you to overdo anything the first day."

OOOOOO

Lord Ashfordly walked out on the courtyard and looked out over the landscape. It was a beautiful, starry night. He had just waved off the last couple of guests and everyone had been happy, claiming it to be one of the best hunts for years. This was despite all the troubles with the loose horse, the dogs and the little mishap with the beer tent. The lordship gave into a cautious smile as he thought back of the recent events. It had been fun to socialize for a while but now he longed for the peace and quiet, the ordinary days. He briefly wondered how to make the hunt and market even better the next year and then quickly set the thought aside. He would take one thing at a time. With a deep relaxing breath he took one last look at the sky and then turned back to the house, longing for a glass of whiskey.

OOOOOO

-Two weeks later-

Sergeant Lancewood cast an eye over Alf's shoulder just seconds after the cunning old copper had managed to hide the newspaper in front of him behind a police report.

"Was there anything you wanted Sarge?" he asked innocently and curiously, as he turned to look at the man appearing next to him.

He harrumphed as Mike and Phil carefully avoided looking at each other, afraid of bursting into laughter.

"I was wondering if you by any chance had gotten somewhere with that burglary outside Aidensfield," he said.

"Such things takes time, Sarge," the older copper explained.

"Well, if it takes anymore time we will all be dead and buried before the case is solved," Lancewood returned sharply and turned to the other constables present. "You two, what are you sitting there for? Don't you have something to do?" he questioned in irritation. The speed at which the country bobbies worked was just amazing.

Mike was about to explain as the door opened and another sergeant stepped through the door, his uniform new and crisp. The sergeant stripes present on both his arms and the fitted sergeant hat on his head.

"Sergeant Rowan," Lancewood acknowledged. "Welcome back."

Nick smiled softly as he took off his hat. "Thank you Sergeant Lancewood," he returned politely. "I hope everything has run smoothly while I was away," he asked innocently, knowing full well it hadn't.

Lancewood reached up with his hand to scratch the back of his head absentmindedly. "All in all Sergeant Rowan," he let on. "However, I don't think you and I have the same thoughts about policing."

Nick frowned.

"I wish you luck in the future Sergeant Rowan, you're going to need it," he muttered and extended his arm to shake hands.

"I'm fairly confident my constables and I can handle whatever's thrown at us," Nick said with a smile as they shook hands. "Will you be heading back to Whitby?" he asked casually.

"Yes, as soon as possible," Lancewood replied with a faint smile.

Nick watched as the relief sergeant walked through the door exiting the station and then curiously turned back to his officers.

"We can be quite the pain in the ass if we want to," Phil offered by way of explanation.

Alf shook his head sadly. "You know, he wanted to have your job," he drawled, looking for a biscuit that he had obviously misplaced somewhere on his desk.

Nick broke into a grin as he folded his arms over his chest and leaned toward the bench where people came to complain. "Well, as long as you work regular hours and don't be too much of a bother, I think we will get along together great," Nick teased.

Phil huffed albeit with a smile. "Hear that?" he asked and turned to glance over his shoulder, at Mike, and then back again. "I think he's getting cocky, it's all gone to his head," he stated with a tease.

Nick started looking smug but then put on a neutral, almost innocent look. "I can always go and fetch Lancewood for you," he offered.

"Absolutely not," Alf returned and made to stand, heading for the kitchenette. "Can't have him around, no biscuits and not much tea. I've lost several pounds, Mrs. Ventress is starting to worry."

"Welcome back Sarge. It's good to see you," Mike said.

"Yeah, don't ever scare us like that again," Phil added.

"It's good to be back," Nick returned. "Now, what's with this burglary I've heard so much about?"

OOOOOO

Maggie pulled up at the garage in Aidensfield and came to a full stop next to the petrol pumps. She couldn't help but smile as David walked out from the garage, looking confused in a way only he could. He stopped short when he saw her and fumbled with his hat, took it off and nodded at her politely.

"Mrs. Bolton," he acknowledged. "Should I fill her up?" he asked kindly.

"Yes, please David," she replied.

He almost bolted and hurried to unscrew the lid, fetch the hose and begin the procedure. Maggie's lips were still creased with a smile as she watched him in the rear mirror.

"Hi, Maggie!" Jo hollered as she came walking on the other side of the street.

"Jo, just the one I wanted to see," the nurse hollered back.

Jo stopped and removed her hair from her face as the wind constantly tried to ruffle it and shaded her eyes with her hand as she was about to cross the street to get to the garage.

"What's up?" she asked curiously as she walked up to the Land Rover.

Maggie hesitated and looked around. "You want a ride somewhere?" she asked.

"A private conversation?" Jo asked with a tease. "Well, let me think…I suppose you could drop me off at home. Nick is not there, he's over at the Ashfordly Station. It would be you, me and the four walls, no large ears. What do you say?" she offered.

"It's a deal," Maggie returned. "Jump in."

OOOOOO

Phil Bellamy turned quizzically toward his colleague. "I'm talking to you, are you in there?" he asked.

Mike turned his head with a frown. "Sorry, Phil. I was thinking," he apologized and then hastily got out of his chair, reaching for his helmet and gloves.

"Wow, slow down, where are you going?" Phil asked confused.

Mike grabbed the handle of the entrance door and stopped, turning to look at Phil. "The burglary, its Steads, Stuart Steads," he said confidently.

"Hang on a minute, you're losing me," Phil complained as he leaned forward in his chair.

"He's been taunting us for a week and I didn't see it," the former London constable admonished himself. "Think about it Phil, who else have access to several homes in the area?"

"Just because he's a window cleaner doesn't mean he's a criminal," Phil reasoned.

"No, but the fact that several stolen items have showed up on local markets in Whitby confirms that we are looking for a man with connections there. Steads' has an Uncle Harvey, and he's not exactly straight when it comes to business," Mike reasoned.

Phil snapped his fingers excitedly. "The things missing from homes where the antiques league had been, the things that were never found," he said suddenly as if struck by lightning. "It wasn't the antiques gang after all."

"Stuart Steads," Mike returned darkly. "He used the opportunity, used them as a cover up for the items he stole so that no one would suspect something. Everyone would just assume that the antiques gang grabbed all the things," he finished smugly and jumped as the doorknob twisted in his hand.

Nick Rowan, flanked by Alf Ventress, suddenly stood opposite him with a curious look on his face.

"Sarge," Mike said. "We know who it is."

Nick frowned. "You better take it from the beginning," he said.

"Phil can fill you in," Mike reasoned as he squeezed passed his superior officer.

Nick turned to look after Bradley as he disappeared through the door and then hastily cast a glance at Bellamy. "Phil, update Alf. I'm going with Mike," he said and hastened to catch up.

Alf gingerly moved over to his desk and sat down. "You better get me a fresh cup of tea first," he drawled.

Phil couldn't help but chuckle. "You know, Alf, you really need to cut down on the fags and start to exercise," he said amusedly.

"Why? There's no need to rush through life, it goes fast enough as it is," the old copper returned.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_26/28_


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty Seven – On A Mission **

When Nick Rowan walked through the door to the police house it was almost eight o'clock in the evening. He casually shrugged out of his coat as Jo walked up to him and helped him out of it. The new and crisp wool coat with sergeant stripes was placed on the regular hook just inside the kitchen door.

"Nick, where have you been?" she asked softly albeit with a slight accusative tone to it. "I was worried about you."

"I had to stay at the station. Took more time than I expected to go through everything that's happened around here," he explained. "I'm almost certain that we have cleared up the burglaries' that has been going on in the area."

"We do have a phone you know," she pointed out.

"I know and I'm so sorry," he said and reached out for her, to take her into his arms.

Jo couldn't help but soften as she let him embrace her. It felt so good to have him next to her again. "You're forgiven," she said and put a small distance between them, tilting her head to look at him. "For now," she added with a smile and then gave into his embrace fully, her head coming to rest on his chest.

"So, what have you been up to today?" Nick asked curiously as he grimaced behind her back. The headache was still bothering him even after having taken his daily dose of painkillers.

"I've been teaching the class about right and wrong, about morals and such," she said.

"Sounds like heavy stuff," he replied.

Jo snuggled a little, enjoying the warmth of him. "The secret is how you tell them," she let on. "You have to make a seemingly boring thing appear fun."

"I take it you managed that?" Nick asked softly.

"It went fairly well until Nelly Martin placed a frog in Sarah Chambers' bag," she added.

"Was that the fun part?" Nick asked amused as he lowered his head to whisper in her ear. "What if I told you I did some really stupid things, at least the teacher thought so anyway, when I was little."

"I wouldn't doubt it for a second, Nick Rowan," Jo replied in mock amazement. "Actually, you're partly right. We did use the frog as a subject about right and wrong but we also started a role play."

Nick nodded, silently thankful for the distraction from the headache. "So," he began as they parted, "anything else interesting?"

This time it was her time to nod. "Yes, I've arranged a double date," she said casually with a cryptic smile.

Nick narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Really and…would you care to elaborate on that?" he asked.

Jo chuckled. "Just you, me and Maggie and Dr. Bolton," she let on.

Nick made a surprised face. "Two married couple, I thought you said date," he teased as he walked over to the kitchen table, pulled out a chair and sat down.

"They have a long way ahead of them," Jo returned seriously. "But I think that's what they both want; to rekindle. To find each other again after everything that's happened in their lives."

Nick nodded and rubbed his tired eyes as Jo sat down next to him. "Let's see if we can push them in the right direction then," he said with a weary smile.

OOOOOO

It was two days later and fairly quiet back at Ashfordly Police Station as Bradley entered a quarter past the time his shift ended, coming directly from division headquarters in Whitby.

Nick, who stood next to Alf, turned to look at him curiously. "Right man?" he asked.

Mike nodded. "Yeah," he confirmed. "He's posed as a window cleaner everywhere. I'm surprised he didn't get caught sooner."

"Luck, good planning, a lot of studying about people's comings and goings," Nick offered.

"Well, everyone's luck runs out sometime," Alf quipped as he began to peel off the shell of an egg.

"I was to say hallo from the chief constable, Sarge. He congratulates on a job well done," Mike said happily.

"Proves I have a good team," Nick returned. "Now, I better go because I'm already late."

OOOOOO

Jo glanced down at her watch, it was past the time when they'd said they'd meet and there was no sign of Nick. She began to feel embarrassed where she stood outside a restaurant with Maggie and Neil next to her. "Why don't you go ahead?" she said kindly to the rest of the company.

"Oh, I could do with some fresh air," Maggie replied, not really sure she trusted herself going in together with Neil.

Jo put on a polite smile but her cheeks was starting to burn. She was both annoyed at Nick being late and worried that something had happened.

"And here he comes," Doctor Bolton said as he caught sight of the red MG-TA speeding down the lane to Webster's Hotel and restaurant.

"I wonder what the police would say about that?" Maggie hollered in a teasing tone as Nick got out of the car, having parked a few meters away from where they stood waiting.

"Well, I'm not going to tell them," Nick returned with a twinkle in his eyes as he neared.

"Where have you been, Nick?" Jo asked softly, slightly worried.

"Sorry," he apologized and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "I had to sort out some things at work," he explained.

Maggie folded her arms across her chest and glared at him from behind. "Resting, Nick," the nurse admonished. "I thought you were supposed to be resting."

A soft cunning smile appeared on his lips as he felt all eyes on him. "Why don't we just step inside," he suggested. When no one moved he turned to Neil. "Doctor Bolton?" he asked.

"Why not, Sergeant Rowan," he replied.

"Nick," the young sergeant returned.

"Neil," the young doctor said with a smile.

OOOOOO

Bernie Scripps smiled happily, where he stood in the garage, looking at David through the half-opened door. It was business as usual and David had been standing on the doorstep this morning even before him. The younger man was running between the cars outside, trying to be of assistance of everyone at the same time. He filled up petrol in one car as he hastily cleared the windscreen of another. However, both he and the drivers seemed satisfied.

The garage owner and burial entrepreneur sighed with relief as he now had the full help of David like he was supposed to have had all along and Claude hadn't come to him for any help in strange business for several days. No goats or tents or anything else for that matter. After Alsop had bought his goats Bernie hadn't seen the ghost of him but he had a feeling it wouldn't be long until he was back and putting his nose into another project.

Bernie walked back to the car he was working on with a smile. He would enjoy the peace and quiet for as long as it lasted.

OOOOOO

Nick walked slowly toward the cemetery, seemingly deep in thought. It had been a little over two weeks since he had awakened only to find Jo in tears next to his bedside at Ashfordly General Hospital. All those memories of Kate that had resurfaced still lingered on his mind; it had been so real, like it had happened then and not a long time ago. The smile on her face, the stubborn streak, the caring doctor, the scent of her perfume, the wonderful woman he'd called his wife. He had loved her with all his heart and he still loved her.

It would be impossible not to remember and a part of him would be lost forever, gone with Kate. However, he had another love now, someone he cared deeply for in a way he'd never thought possible after Kate had died. Jo was what he needed and he had come to realize that he couldn't live without her. In some strange way it felt like he and Kate had talked about it, that she was happy for him.

"Hello, Nick," the old vicar greeted with a smile.

Nick looked up absentmindedly with a frown before a faint smile creased his lips. "Hello," he replied.

"Come to talk to Kate?" he asked kindly.

"In a way," Nick said.

The vicar nodded. "Something changes in you when you have had a near death experience," he said seriously. "I will not ask you what yours was but I can see it in your eyes that it was a mixture of both joy and sorrow," he said with a faint smile. "I'm glad you're still with us, Nick, it would be a shame for the village to lose you."

"Thanks," the young sergeant said.

He watched the vicar nod before turning away and disappearing between the gravestones. Nick sighed and automatically walked the few meters to where his first wife was buried. A few dried flowers stood in a vase and several leaves lay scattered over the foot of the stone. He knelt down and gently scooped up the flowers and his eyes stopped on the text of the stone.

"Hello, Kate," Nick said sadly. "I'm sorry, it's been so long."

The wind ruffled his hair slightly as he gently put the large, beautiful red roses that he'd carried with him in the vase next to the gravestone.

"It feels like it was yesterday that we talked. I understand now that somehow you're there for me and for that I'm grateful, but I really wish you hadn't left me at all, me and Katie," he said and had anyone else been present they would have heard the undertone of emotional pain in his voice.

Nick turned his head upwards toward the sky and took a deep breath before letting his eyes roam over the surrounding area. "Yes, Kate, you were right, it is beautiful up here," he whispered as he remembered her saying so all those years ago when they'd first arrived to her home village.

"I wanted to thank you," he said suddenly, "for being there for me."

"_I'll be with you in your heart Nick, as long as you want me," Kate's voice echoed in his head. _

A ghost of a smile spread across the young Ashfordly sergeant's lips as he slowly rose from his position next to the gravestone. He took one last glance at her resting place before turning to leave.

OOOOOO

Mike Bradley gently eased himself down in the armchair, back into the snug, at the Aidensfield Arms. He tiredly let his head come to rest against the wall behind him and narrowed his eyes into slits. It had been a hectic few weeks and to be completely honest he'd never dreamed about the kind of action he'd just been through up here in North Yorkshire. It had almost rivalled London when he had been nestled into an operation called gun smoke.

During his first months in the Aidensfield and Ashfordly district he had come to appreciate the landscape and the people in a way he never thought would have been possible. When he had left London for a tour at the little station, in the middle of nowhere, his former colleagues had teased him about how he would be counting sheep the whole day and maybe if he was lucky solve something that resembled a petty crime. They couldn't have been more wrong. The fact that his sergeant also came from London only served to help him along the way.

At first it was meant as a few months really, an education in rural policing, but he knew already that he wouldn't be going back. Since Sergeant Blaketon had been retired due to medical reasons and Constable Rowan had been assigned as Sergeant Rowan there was a place for him back at the station if he wanted it and he was certain of it, he would take it.

He opened his tired eyes and let the murmuring voices from the pub section take him back to a crowded little pub in London that he used to visit regularly, to a familiar environment. He eased himself slightly upward, his muscles still a bit stiff and parts of his body still sore and he fell into a light sleep.

Gina cast a quick glance at him from where she stood behind the counter and smiled.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_27/28_


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty Eight – Crossroads**

Nick was feeling tired, but still in a happy mood, as he drove up the driveway at the police house in Aidensfield. Everything was finally over and all the gang members were behind bars.

Just before he'd left the station there had been a call from DI Shiner. The CID officer had thanked him and told him that his officers' quick thinking had caught Jones red handed and that everyone had been assembled in prison back in London. The MET would take the matter into their hands.

Nick had thought about phoning to his old friend Henry, who was still employed at the MET, but time hadn't been on his side as usual these days.

The young sergeant sighed deeply, killed the engine of the black Ford Anglia police car and leaned back in the driver's seat. Somehow life felt different now, things he'd taken for granted before held a new meaning to him.

It felt like he'd come to a crossroad and he couldn't continue like he had before; there was only left or right for him to choose. While he liked it in Aidensfield, and had lived through both happy and tragic times there, he needed a change.

He closed his eyes briefly and reached up with his hand to rub his forehead, trying to ease the pressure of the dull headache that had started to form; a residue of the accident no doubt. Both Dr. Bolton and Maggie had told him to take it easy and not expect to be able to do everything like he used to do so soon after the accident but it was hard not to. He had a responsibility as a sergeant, more so than when he was just an ordinary patrolling PC.

With some effort he heaved himself out of the seat and started to head for the door before Jo could come out looking for him and, most likely, worry about him.

His beautiful wife looked up from where she stood, next to the kitchen table, as he entered and a smile played on her lips. "There you are," she said softly, beaming.

Nick couldn't help but smile as he took in the atmosphere in the room, the candle lit dinner for two that she'd taken time to prepare.

Jo blew out the match as she'd lit the candles and smoothed out her tight black dress before quickly closing the distance to her husband.

"I wanted to surprise you," she said happily. "It was such a long time ago that we sat down, just the two of us, and did something for ourselves. All the time I spent by your bedside Nick, it was horrible. I never thought you would wake up again, they told me…." she trailed off, unable to continue.

"Hey," Nick said softly, his voice comforting as he sneaked his arms around her middle and held her tight. "It's all right Jo."

"Just don't let go of me," she whispered into his shoulder.

"I'm right here, love, and I won't go anywhere," Nick reassured her. "Come on, let's see what you've cooked. It smells delicious."

Jo raised her head to look at him and as she did so Nick gently reached over to remove the tears that glistened down her cheeks. "I'm sorry; I thought I was over this part, you're here and all right and everything but…"

Deep brown eyes looked at her, concerned, as she forced herself to continue.

"Remember what we talked about before all this happened? Jo asked, as she buried her face in his chest.

Nick nodded thoughtfully. "About doing something else?" he wondered aloud.

She nodded, her soft curls bouncing gently off her shoulders as she rose her head to look him in the eye. "I'll go wherever you like just as long you're going with me," she said. "I love you, Nick Rowan, in sickness and in health, until death do us apart. You're the most important thing in my life."

OOOOOO

"So," Phil began softly as he walked up to the counter at the Aidensfield Arms, "could I endure your company for a while?"

Gina raised an impeccable eyebrow in amusement at his enigmatic smile. "What's on your mind, Phil?" she asked happily.

"I've got tickets to the cinema tomorrow and I thought, perhaps you would want to come with me?" he said hopefully. "It's a new movie with Sean Connery, you know he who played Bond," he added.

"I would love to Phil but I'm not sure I can leave this place," she said apologetically.

"Well, I might be able to lend you a hand, if it's only for a couple of hours," Blaketon said as he appeared behind Phil with an empty pint in hand.

"Sarge?" Phil said both confused and happy at the same time.

"Go on, off you go you two," the former police sergeant said with a kind smile.

"Tomorrow it is then," Gina confirmed to Phil.

"I'll pick you up at six," the young constable said happily, secretly wishing it would be right away.

OOOOOO

The next morning Nick Rowan casually walked through the door to his police station, nodded at his officers and headed straight for his office. He hung up his coat and hat, moved over to the desk and retrieved a number from a closed map. He sat down heavily in his chair and grabbed the phone with

a steady grip, dialing a number to London.

OOOOOO

It was almost after working hours as Jo looked up from where she sat in the garden, outside the Aidensfield police house, a book in hand as Nick walked through the gate. Katie smiled happily from where she sat next to Jo, on a large blanket.

"Hello, daddy," she said.

"Hello, love, had a good day?" he asked softly as he lifted his daughter and took her in his arms.

"Yes, Jo has been telling me about the ugly tree monster that lives up in the north," she let on.

Nick made a face. "Really?" he asked. "Are you afraid it will come and get you at night?"

"No, I have my teddy bear to protect me," she said seriously.

Nick gently put down his daughter and then sat down next to her and his wife. "This little fellow?" he asked skeptically, scooping up the worn teddy bear that lay on the blanket.

"He has superpowers," Jo filled in with a smile as Nick leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her cheek.

"So," Jo began curiously. "How did it go?"

Nick couldn't help but chuckle. "I never thought for a minute that I would be going back to London," he admitted.

"When you applied for the job several years ago wasn't it what you wanted?" Jo questioned quizzically.

"Both yes and no actually," Nick said with a sigh. For the hundredth time in a short period he found himself thinking of Kate. "My life was so different then."

His wife glanced up at him sadly, carefully. "If there was a way, would you go back there?" she asked, almost reluctant to know the answer.

Nick turned to level his gaze with hers as a faint sombre smile spread across his lips. "No," he let on. "If you had asked me earlier I might have said yes but not now. "I'm done with that part of my life, Jo, and I'm happy, I have you and Katie with me."

"Yes, but not Kate," Jo replied softly.

"You know, in a way…," he began, avoiding the direct question, glancing down at his boots, "…in a way the accident made me deal with things I'd pushed aside. I loved Kate with all my heart, she was my wife, but Kate is dead and she would have wanted me to move on," he filled in seriously and turned to look Jo in the eyes. "She would have liked you."

A faint upward curl on her lips appeared. "You think so?" Jo asked carefully.

"I know so," Nick replied with a smirk and then turned slightly to ruffle Katie's hair. "What do you think? Can we be happy in London?"

The three-year-old nodded, holding her teddy bear in a tight grip.

Nick and Jo looked at each other, their eyes sparkling, a moment later their lips met in a passionate kiss as Katie sat next to them. The little girl smiled as she looked at her dad and her Jo. She quietly moved closer to snuggle in between them.

"Hey," Nick said softly. "My two favorite girls in the world."

OOOOOO

_The end _

_* In the show Maggie and Neil doesn't rekindle before Nick and Jo leaves _

_* Also, in the show, Nick and Jo leaves for Canada _

_/Thank you for reading and reviewing! I love to hear from you so please don't hesitate to tell me what you liked and/or disliked about this story. With that said I leave the Nick and Kate (Jo) era. _


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